Catford Farmhouse

Catford Farmhouse, possibly dating back to the 16th century, underwent alterations and expansion in the 17th century, with a date of 1679 noted in the roof space. Subsequent alterations included refenestration and restoration in 1985. Originally shown on Ordnance Survey maps as Catford West, it was later divided into two cottages and is now a single dwelling. The farmhouse is constructed of rubble and cob, rendered over, with a slate roof and roughcast stacks at the gable ends – one to the left of the entrance and another between the first and second bays on the left side.

The building's plan is complex, with four main rooms arranged around a cross passage which leads to a 17th-century staircase wing. A barn (listed separately) abuts the front facade between the first and second bays on the left. It is two storeys high, with a 1:2:1 bay arrangement. All windows are late 20th-century wooden casements, with a plank door located between the first and second bays on the right.

Inside, a peaked doorcase is visible in the hall on the right, opposite a moulded doorframe with ornate stops, which has been reset into the staircase wing. Evidence suggests an earlier winder staircase was located in the angle of a wall adjoining the staircase wing. A chamfered lintel is present over the cross passage fireplace. The interior also features steeply chamfered lateral beams with step and runout stops in a narrow room. One end room is relatively plain, containing a 19th-century staircase. A blocked window opening can be seen on the exterior wall of the adjoining barn.

In the centre room on the upper storey, a fireplace is surrounded by unusual square-headed moulded plasterwork, bearing a Royal Coat of Arms above it. Hidden in the roof space on the opposite wall, remnants of plasterwork reveal a barrel-vaulted cob wall, with one cruck truss visible. Decorative plasterwork, said to include the date 1679, is also found above the hall stack in the end room on the right. The settlement where the farmhouse stands has historical records dating back to the early Middle Ages. The property was formerly known as Catford Cottages.