Sparrow Rigg Cottage

Sparrow Rigg Cottage

Farmhouse, probably later 17th or early 18th century with subsequent alterations.

The original farmhouse is constructed of clay walling with external cement render, set upon a stone and cobble plinth with red sandstone dressings painted blue. It follows a long-house derivative plan with an off-centre non-axial chimney.

The building is oriented roughly west to east on a site that slopes gently down from south to north. It has one and a half storeys under a pitched roof and the truncated remains of an off-centre non-axial ridge chimney.

The main north elevation is significantly bowed at its north-west end. The ground floor contains four rectangular window openings of varying sizes with their tops set at roughly the same level. All have projecting stone sills and timber lintels. From left to right these comprise a small window fitted with a four-pane fixed frame with fine glazing bars, a larger window fitted with a four-pane unhorned sash frame, a small fire-window fitted with a four-pane fixed frame, and at the far right a window fitted with a fixed six-pane frame. A blind section of wall between the fire window and the fourth window possibly contains the blocked north end of a former cross passage, whose south end is visible in the south elevation as a blocked and rendered entrance. Two small first-floor windows tucked beneath the eaves at the west and east ends have stone cills; the western window is a six-light unhorned sash frame and the eastern is a four-pane fixed window.

The rear south elevation has a single window at the north-west end with red sandstone jambs and cill, fitted with a modern window frame. The short length of wall containing this window is thinner than the rest of the building and appears to have been rebuilt in stone or brick. To the right, with its right side in line with the off-centre truncated chimney, is a former external entrance, possibly the south end of a former cross passage, now blocked and rendered. Two modern full roof dormers occupy the east end.

Removal of a later extension to the west gable has revealed clay walling of both the original building and its upper extension and suggests the presence of stone quoins to the main elevation. The chimney stack has been rebuilt.

The ground floor is divided into two rooms of unequal size by a firewall. The western room has a chimney breast to the west gable fitted with a later 20th-century fireplace. A hatch in the roof provides access to the attic floor above this room, through which unsawn and roughly hewn ridge and side purlins are visible. Spalling of the render has revealed stone and cobble walling. The eastern room contains a former inglenook against the firewall, now infilled with a modern red-brick fireplace, and is lit by a small fire window. Three substantial and roughly hewn beams run from front to rear embedded within the original clay walls at either end, supporting later joists for the half-floor above. A full-height former doorway with dressed stone jambs through the rear wall gave access to the former rear outshut and is now blocked with breeze blocks; where the render has spalled, the clay walling is visible. The east end of this room has been lightly partitioned with an inserted stair to the first floor. To the right of the stair at first-floor level a boxed-in feature may represent the truncated remains of a cruck pair. The first floor comprises two bedrooms and retains what are interpreted as the roughly hewn ridge and side purlins of the original roof structure. At least one of these purlins displays a pegged scarf joint and an assembly mark. The ceilings are coved, masking further evidence of the roof structure.