Thong Farmhouse

1072/0/10005 28-FEB-02

NORTH CURRY HELLAND Thong Farmhouse

II

Farmhouse. Circa C15; remodelled and extended circa early C17; remodelled again circa early-mid C18. Rendered stone. Clay pantile and double Roman tile roof with gabled ends and catslide at rear. Rendered axial and gable-end stacks with weathering. PLAN: 3-room and through-passage plan with outshut at rear; the kitchen to right [E] end and the parlour to left have gable-end fireplaces. The hall was open to the roof originally. In about the early C17 a floor and stack were inserted into the hall, the inner room was extended to form a larger parlour with a chamber above, both heated from gable end fireplaces and an unheated integral outshut was added to the back of the high end of the house. A putative wing behind the low end was replaced probably in the early-mid C18 by an outshut when the house was remodelled and re-roofed. The parlour and its chamber were converted into a cider-house and loft probably in the C19. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window south front. C20 casements and C20 glazed door to through-passage to right of centre. At the left [W] gable end a plank door with a loft door above and a small attic window with glazing bars in the gable. The east gable end has a small outshut and an external stack with a brick shaft. At the rear the roof is carried down to low eaves of the outshut. INTERIOR: Kitchen [east room] has plastered cross-beam, bressumer over blocked fireplace, C18 china cupboard in front wall, and remains of plank-and-muntin partition and Tudor arch doorframe at back to former rear wing. Through-passage has Tudor arch rear doorway rebated on inside; stone flag floor to through-passage and kitchen. Hall ceiled and with large axial fireplace backing onto passage with dressed stone jambs and moulded timber bressumer. Partition built at back of hall to form narrow room that has ovolo-moulded timber windows in rear wall. Former parlour has cambered chamfered fireplace bressumer, similar but smaller fireplace above, replaced loft floor and cider-press. Plank-and-muntin screen between parlour chamber and hall chamber with Tudor arch doorframe, the screen possibly not in situ. Hall chamber has C18 chimneypiece with moulded shelf and grate to earlier fireplace with chamfered timber bressumer. Kitchen chamber has deeply chamfered axial beam with run-out stops. Early-mid C18 staircase rising from kitchen with wavy splat balusters. C18 and C19 panelled and plank doors. Attics ceiled, but C18 tenoned-purlin roof structure exposes. Two jointed cruck trusses remain from late Medieval house; that behind the hall stack is face-pegged and its apex is smoke-blackened on its hall side; the other cruck is over the kitchen. An interesting multi-phase vernacular house of late Medieval origin.

Listing NGR: ST3347424088