Little Swinton

Little Swinton

This is a classically-detailed house, possibly dating from the late 18th century, with substantial additions and alterations from the later 19th century onwards. The building is two storeys with an attic and originally comprised three bays. A single-storey porch now projects at the centre, and the house has expanded considerably over time with a two-storey wing at the rear forming a T-plan, followed by a further two-storey wing to the right creating an approximately L-shaped footprint. A later single-storey addition is attached to the east.

The principal structure is built of harl-pointed sandstone rubble, employing squared and snecked stugged sandstone to the later porch. Sandstone ashlar dressings are used throughout. A raised base course is present in part, and the building features a corniced parapet to the porch, corniced eaves, and crowstepped gables. Droved quoins mark the angles, with lightly droved raised margins to the front elevation. Window and door openings are finished with projecting cills and tooled long and short surrounds, particularly to side and rear openings. A range of single-storey ancillary structures enclose a rear courtyard, with the east range flanking an entrance pend.

On the south-east (entrance) elevation, the projecting porch is centred at ground level, with a two-leaf timber panelled door set within a slightly advanced central bay and a plain surround crowned by a consoled cornice. Single windows flank the porch at ground level, recessed to left and right. First-floor windows are placed singly in all three bays, with ashlar and slate-hung pedimented wallhead dormers aligned above.

The south-west (side) elevation shows the original block with a corniced, canted window at ground level in the outer right bay, and a two-leaf, part-glazed door in the left bay. Both bays have single windows at first-floor level, with a single window offset to the left above. An adjoining four-bay wing extends from here, featuring single windows at both floors in the outer right bay, a small single window at ground level in the next bay to the left, and single windows at both floors in the remaining two bays. A single-storey ancillary structure is adjoined at the outer left.

The north-west (rear) elevation of the original block contains a single window at first-floor level in the outer left bay. Two-storey wings project from this elevation: one adjoined to the right has single windows at both floors, offset to the right of centre; a further wing projects to the outer right with a single-storey outbuilding adjoined at ground level. A flat-roofed addition is adjoined to the outer left.

The north-east (side) elevation reveals single windows at ground level in the outer left and right bays of the original block, with a bipartite window centred at first-floor level and a single window aligned above. A recessed two-storey wing to the right has a single window at first-floor level, while a flat-roofed addition obscures ground-level bays. A further recessed two-storey wing at the outer right contains a single window at ground level in the left bay and single windows at both floors in the right bay, with a boarded timber door to the outer right accessing the adjoining single-storey ancillary structure.

Windows are predominantly timber sash and case, with plate glass in 4- and 8-pane configurations, some with lying-pane glazing. Modern windows are fitted to the flat-roofed addition. The roof is covered in grey slate with crowstepped skews and moulded skewputts. Corniced sandstone apex stacks serve the original T-plan block, while the later two-storey wing has a coped ridge and apex stacks. Various circular cans and good rainwater hoppers are present throughout.

The interior was not examined at the time of survey in 1998.

The ancillary structures are constructed from harl-pointed sandstone rubble with tooled sandstone dressings. A range of single-storey buildings encloses an irregular, three-sided rear courtyard. The entrance range features a large square-headed pend at centre on its north-east (front) elevation, with a bipartite window to the right and a boarded timber garage door to the outer left. A single-storey cottage with an attic, comprising three bays, is adjoined to the outer right (No 1 Little Swinton Farm Cottages). The south-west (courtyard) elevation has a large square-headed pend at centre, a boarded timber door in the bay to the left, a small window in the subsequent bay to the left, and a single window in the outer left bay, though a lean-to garage addition obscures bays to the right.

The north range has a south-east (courtyard) elevation containing two-leaf boarded timber garage doors in the outer left bay and modern garage openings to the right. The west range displays a single window in the bay to the right and a boarded timber door to the left on its north-east (courtyard) elevation. Timber glazing is used throughout the ancillary structures, with small skylights providing light. Grey slate roof covers these buildings, with raised stone skews and cast-iron rainwater goods. A corniced brick ridge stack serves the entrance block. The interiors of the ancillary structures were not examined in 1998.

Squared coping, stepped in part, crowns rubble garden walls enclosing a near rectangular-plan garden to the front.