Langford Court

Langford Court is a house with a complex history, dating to the late medieval period and significantly altered through the 16th, 17th, 19th and 20th centuries. It was originally known as Ritherdons. The core of the house is believed to have been an open hall house, subsequently ceiled to create a three-cell plan with a cross passage. Further west extensions were added in the 17th century, followed by a south-east addition containing a staircase dated 1722, likely when a small north-east closet was also constructed. Further extensions occurred in the 19th century, with minor alterations in the early 20th century.

The facade is rendered and grooved to resemble ashlar, while the rest of the building is of random rubble construction. The roof is covered in bitumen-coated slate, with hipped sections related to the 18th-century additions. A large external stack is on the east gable end, while a brick stack sits to the left of the cross passage. Further brick stacks are visible in the second and first bays on the right-hand side.

The building has a complex plan, with smoke-blackened roof trusses indicating the original open hall, with remnants of these surviving in the roof space. The house evolved to a three-cell and cross-passage plan, with the kitchen originally positioned to the right of the cross passage. A two-storey wing was added over cellars, incorporating a staircase to the north-west.

The exterior features a number of 18th-century leaded wooden casements, largely at the rear of the house, with fine contemporary catches; most are 20th-century replacements. A gabled dormer is located on the left, with three further dormers to the right of the full-height gabled porch, which has a two-light casement. A single-storey projection on the left return has an 18th-century casement. The ground floor features a ribbed plank door, flanked by two casements. A segmental-headed opening with a keystone and voussoirs leads to the porch, housing a ribbed plank inner door.

The rear elevation has five bays to the left and two bays to the right, with a small glazed opening visible beside a lower end stack, now forming part of a corridor. An original fenestration pattern survives on the projecting 18th-century wing to the right. The interior includes a moulded beam with a cornice in the hall, and an 18th-century staircase rising against an extension, with a small closet opening onto the gable end. A beam above the stairs leading to the cellar bears the painted date April 1722. Other interior features include a panelled parlour with semi-circular headed niches flanking the chimney piece, a space for an overmantel painting having been removed. The end of the house may have served as a dining room in the 18th century, with the closet used for serving food, given the kitchen's original distance.

Langford Court represents an interesting example of an attempt to adapt a traditional farmhouse plan to create a more gracious living space.