Lower House

Lower House is a farmhouse of probable 17th century origin, with later alterations and a converted barn. The main range and a service wing form an L-shaped plan, accompanied by a barn aligned with the main range at the south gable. The farmhouse is constructed of limestone rubble, largely rendered and painted, with Welsh slate gable roofs. The front (south-west) elevation is stuccoed and has a gabled roof with a red tile ridge and a rendered stack to the south-east gable. The ground and first floor window openings are not aligned. The front elevation features a 2-light casement window to the left, a late 19th to early 20th century gabled porch with a slate roof and a rear access door, and two modern casements to the right. Three late 19th to early 20th century attic gables contain 2-light casements, all now plastic replacements. The rear elevation is mostly unfenestrated, with a plinth and gable, although the gable was not visible during a resurvey. The rear wing has a 3-light plastic casement in a dormer and three small plastic casements in a probable 18th century lean-to dairy below. A blocked arched and chamfered stone doorway with pyramid stops is located in the south-west gable of the original north-south wing, visible from an adjoining outbuilding range; its presence is assumed but was unconfirmed at the time of resurvey. The former outbuilding range to the south consists of a coach house, stable, and barn. The barn, set back with slightly higher eaves, has a whitewashed stone front wall and a slate gable roof. It is characterized by wooden boarded vehicular doors to the former coach house, a ventilator slit, spaced ground floor and loft doors to the stable, a small ventilator, a boarded loft door, and half-boarded ground floor doors—these features were later altered to windows during the barn's conversion. Two buttresses are situated against the rear elevation of the barn, although they were not visible during the resurvey. Interior features, described in a previous listing, include extant corbels for destroyed beams in the north-west ground floor room, a covered-over east fireplace, stopped and chamfered arched doorways to a partition between rooms and to stone corner stairs, massive boxed beams in the south room, another arched stone doorway and a chamfered wood lintel at the entrance to a later north-east wing with stopped and chamfered ceiling beams, a window seat, and a fireplace with a straight-edged stone jamb and wooden bressumer. These interior details are illustrated in a plan held by RCAHMW. The barn wing has been extended with an upper floor during its conversion.