Oxenford House And The Cottage Attached To West Gable With Pump

Oxenford House is a 17th-century farmhouse with an eastern extension dating to 1727, accompanied by a 19th-century cottage forming a crosswing. The building is constructed primarily of cut and squared ham stone, with the first extension in ashlar and the cottage in rubble with ashlar dressings. The roofs are thatched, with stepped coped gables, except for the cottage which has Welsh slates. The house is arranged as an ‘L’ shape, with a four-bay north elevation including the cottage crosswing. The eastern extension is distinguished by a plinth, string course, rusticated quoins, and a higher roofline. An inserted semi-circular arched casement, possibly from the later 18th century, is positioned towards the west end. Other windows are rectangular-leaded casements with internal ferramenta and iron-framed opening lights, with varying numbers of lights (four, three, and two) and decorative labels. A boarded door sits in a heavy frame with a casement sidelight, sheltered by a thatched hood supported on reconstructed stone columns. The cottage projects with a 20th-century horizontal-bar casement, two 3-light leaded casements, and a boarded door within a segmental-arched opening. The north gable is plain. The east gable features rusticated quoins, stepped rusticated stones, string courses, and hollow-chamfered mullioned windows with labels. A datestone inscribed "JSS 1727" is set above the attic window, potentially referencing the Speke family who held the manor. An additional datestone, inscribed "TP 1682," is set within the adjacent garden wall. The rear elevation also features hollow-chamfered mullioned windows. Internally, the ground floor east room boasts early 18th-century panelling, a bolection-mould fireplace, and panelled window seats. An early 17th-century door is also present on the ground floor, while several early 18th-century two-panel doors are found on the first floor. The roof frame incorporates large collar-tie trusses originally closed, with some wattle and daub remaining. A cast-iron pump, with a simple column, collared spout, long handle with ball termination, and finial cap, is located approximately half a meter from the cottage, on the north side. The cottage attached to the west gable and the pump were added to the listing on November 30th, 1987.