The Thatch

The Thatch is a late medieval farmhouse, with alterations and additions dating to the 16th century and restorations undertaken around the time of a survey in November 1984. The building is constructed of rubble, rendered and has a half-hipped thatched roof. A brick stack rises from the eaves on the south-east corner, and a rebuilt brick stack sits on a stone base to the left of the cross passage. The plan consists of a double ended open hall—which was ceiled—a lower end that was rebuilt and may have originally been a byre, and a kitchen lean-to addition to the north front.

The building is one and a half storeys high. A lean-to addition on the left has a catslide roof forming a porch. A 6-light window rises through the eaves above the entrance to the through passage. A plank door is present, and to the left are two unusual chamfered wooden mullioned windows with two lights. A plank door with a light above features in a re-entrant angle of the porch, lit by a small glazed opening in the facade. The left return fronting the road has three early 19th-century leaded iron casements. The right return now forms a junction with a 20th-century addition, which is not included in the listing. A bread oven projection from the cross passage stack protrudes on the south front.

Internally, the farmhouse reveals timber-framed partitions with wattle and daub infill, partially rebuilt in brick to the left of the cross passage and between the hall and inner room, both rising to the roof. Two peaked door frames lead to the latter, and the inner room features a four-panel compartment ceiling. A winder stair is present, along with a stud and panel screen between the through passage and the hall, with stairs behind. The building is reported to contain evidence of a cruck truss roof. The two-light window on the north front is thought to have originally been a four-light window and to pre-date the ceiling of the open hall in the 16th century. It is a distinctive building, reflecting considerable modification in the 20th century through the addition of a modern wing.