Jonathan Swift House

Jonathan Swift House is a house dating from circa 1700 with additions and alterations from the 18th and 19th centuries. The building is constructed of red sandstone rubble, with some modern brick patching and pebble-dashed areas, and has slate roofs. It is composed of three sections, two of which appear to be roughly contemporary, with a later addition.

The south-west section, dating from circa 1700, is in a T-shaped range, though both roof lines are contained within a single rectangle. It is one storey with an attic. The east front has a modern door and window. The south front has a single-light window above a two-light, modern casement. The west front has a plain sash window. The north front features a chamfered door with a two-light window with a chamfered surround and mullion above, both considered original features. Coped gables with kneelers are present. The roof is a replacement, with some survival of fire-damaged timbers; the top of the stack has been removed. Internally, a stone spiral stair is present, and an extremely rough beam spans the kitchen.

The north range appears contemporary with the south-west section but has a lower roof line and is two storeys high. The west front has a doorway with a decayed, moulded surround, flanked by small, blocked openings. Above are four 19th-century sash windows in chamfered surrounds, appearing to be original openings, perhaps with dropped sills. The interior of the lower room contains a fireplace with an ogee mould shelf and an early 19th-century hob grate with a plain stone surround. The roof has been replaced, but one original pegged truss with a halved apex and trenches for purlins remains, dating from the late 17th century. This lower room was formerly a beer cellar.

The east range is likely late 18th or early 19th century and shows patching to the walls. A doorway with a plain stone surround is on the south end, and one modern window to each floor is on the north end, with chamfered surrounds. The interior is featureless.

The building is one of the oldest surviving in Whitehaven and predates the main development of the town in the early 18th century. It is documented in a Matthias Read drawing of 1738. While it is often associated with the poet Jonathan Swift, it is unlikely to be the house he resided in between 1668 and 1671. During the 18th century, it operated as an inn, variously known as Bowling Green House, Flagstaff House, and Red Flag. The remains of the walled enclosure of the bowling green survive to the northwest of the house, although now much damaged.