Birkrigg And Attached Barn To East

This is a late 17th-century farmhouse with an attached barn, enlarged and altered over time. The barn is likely from the 18th century.

The farmhouse is built of coursed white-washed rubble with quoins, and has a stone slate roof. It’s arranged on a single depth, initially two units but extended to three by incorporating a small former outbuilding that connects it to the barn. The main two-window section faces away from the road; it originally had a square-headed doorway in the centre (now enclosed by a modern conservatory) and two rectangular two-light casement windows on each floor, all with small-paned glazing. A blocked and concealed fire-window was originally present on the ground floor. The one-window portion to the right, originally single-storey, has a stone slate course marking the former eaves level, with a window and doorway at ground floor, and another window above. A gable chimney is on the left and a ridge chimney marks the junction of the sections. The rear of the farmhouse shows a difference in masonry, with random rubble at ground floor and watershot coursed rubble above, with a narrow window at ground floor, a single-storey gabled wing to the right, two unequal square windows at first floor, and a stone slate course above the ground floor of the third section, with a small square window above.

Inside the farmhouse, the second bay contains two chamfered lateral beams, one with the remains of a smokehood. Exposed joists with scored decoration are also present, along with a large 18th-century rectangular stone fireplace with a moulded cornice. A partition creates a passage at the lower end. A dog-legged oak staircase is in the rear corner, with an under-stairs cupboard containing a batten and board door with a silver keyhole surround. A batten-and-board door with stepped boards and strap hinges is on the first floor. The wall thickness is half at first floor level compared to ground floor.

The barn is of mixed random rubble with large quoins and a stone slate roof. It has six bays plus a one-bay addition. A segmental-headed wagon doorway is in the centre, with rubble voussoirs. There are doorways and loading doorways in the first and sixth bays respectively, and a doorway in the right-hand addition, with steps leading up to a loft doorway within the gable. The barn interior contains five original collar trusses.