Parlour Farmhouse

Parlour Farmhouse is a 17th-century farmhouse, with later alterations, situated in a rural setting. The building is composed of two main elements: a “hall” range running roughly north-south, and a taller, two-and-a-half-storey parlour wing projecting slightly to the east at its southern end. It also includes a lean-to at the north gable and another wrapping around the east gable of the parlour wing.

The farmhouse is characterised by very thick rubble walls, now rendered and roughcast, and blue slate roofs on two levels. Red brick chimneys are visible. The hall range originally comprised two unequal rooms, with a subsequent partition creating a “hall” and a small “inner room” at its south end; an undecorated lateral beam marks the line of this original partition. A central lateral beam and a half-beam near the north gable wall remain, alongside a full set of original ceiling joists, all featuring rich run-out moulding. The parlour wing contains wooden mullioned windows: on the south elevation, one of six lights at ground floor and one of two lights at the first floor; and in the west gable, one of seven lights at ground floor and one of two lights offset to the left at the first floor. All have wooden lintels and deeply-recessed moulded mullions, and the ground-floor windows have moulded surrounds. The west side of the hall range previously had wooden mullioned windows of six and four lights at ground floor, which have since been replaced with modern glazing.

A significant feature is a massive Tudor-arched oak doorway in the southeast corner of the hall range, with a chamfered surround and an original plank door with applied vertical moulding. This doorway leads to the parlour and was originally lockable with a draw bar, as evidenced by a slot. This design suggests a “house-within-a-house” arrangement allowing for separation of family members. The parlour itself has three lateral beams with run-out moulding, though the joists are now concealed by a ceiling. The thick east gable wall contains a concealed hearth and formerly housed a mural staircase in the southeast corner. A built-in, L-shaped panelled back settle occupies the southwest corner, extending beneath the windows. A lateral beam with running-vine decoration was formerly present in the chamber above the parlour.