Church Farmhouse

Church Farmhouse

This substantial stone building, constructed from local limestone rubble in thin courses with limestone dressings and Welsh slate roofs, appears to date from the medieval period with significant alterations from around 1600 onwards. The exterior render was removed in 1973, and the roofs, which were probably originally thatched, were re-slated in the 1940s.

The building comprises two separate wings, each of four storeys, arranged in an L-shaped plan. The front wing faces east as a hall block, while a chamber wing faces south at the rear. Both are single-depth ranges. The angle between them has been infilled by a two-storey building of 19th-century date. The roof of the front wing appears to have been lowered, which has truncated the west wall attic windows following the 1940s re-roofing. The floor levels also differ between the two ranges.

The main east elevation of the hall block shows three storeys and a garret. Historically, the ground storey was a basement with a first floor hall above. The ground floor now contains three late 20th-century 3-light windows under timber lintels, which have enlarged earlier insertions that replaced what was probably originally a wall with only slit vents. The first floor retains the original entrance on the left, marked by a 2-centred arch with chamfered frame, though this was converted to a fixed lattice window in the late 20th century. To the right are two large 20th-century timber windows, each 3-light with mullion-and-transom divisions and 6 over 2 panes per light. The relieving arches above these demonstrate they are ancient openings, probably of around 1600 and domestic rather than medieval in origin. The second floor has two further similar windows directly above those below. A steeply pitched roof with coped gables and end gable stacks (both rebuilt) crowns this elevation. The right-hand gable shows a corbelled chimney serving the hall floor and the floor above. The left-hand gable contains what appears to be an ancient entrance to the basement on its right side, a small window on the second floor and another in the gable itself, all with concrete lintels. Where the wall extends left to join the secondary range, a 1-metre projection of the older wall may indicate a garderobe shaft. The rear elevation is partly obscured by the later two-storey addition, though a blocked window is visible above and, to the right, the projection for a wheel stair can be seen.

Behind this front range sits another three-storey-and-basement range of almost equal size, clearly added to the front range as evidenced by the straight joint between them. This rear range retains its original roof structure to full height. Evidence of floor insertion is visible in sunk squares within the walls marking the position of the three main floor beams, which were installed after the walls were constructed. The ground floor contains a small medieval window on the left with dressed jambs and head but no sill. To its right are two large 2-light mullion-and-transom 20th-century windows with plain glazing. The two upper floors each have three further small medieval windows: the one on the left, serving a closet, being smaller than those serving the chambers. The roof has a lower pitch with smaller coping and a large gable stack on the left, the upper part of which has been rebuilt in brick at considerably reduced size. The rear wall is largely hidden by a later building, though four medieval windows are visible internally. The top floor windows face outward but cannot be seen from ground level. The west gable wall can only be partially viewed and appears featureless; it has a lean-to privy attached to its base.

The interior is complex and difficult to interpret fully. Its possible monastic origin remains speculative, as does much of its later history.

In the front range, considerable changes date to around 1600, when floors were inserted (except the first floor) and a spiral staircase was probably also introduced. Ground floor ceiling beams are cased; first floor ceiling beams have quarter-round mouldings with converging and lambs-tongue stops. A stair tower connects the ground and first floors only and is entered by a straight flight. 17th-century doors appear on the second floor at the stair head and in an original partition; the latter has a shaped and moulded head. The basement contains a large fireplace with a massive stone lintel, presumably the original kitchen hearth. The first floor fireplace on the left was clearly a later addition, creating a lobby inside the original front door (now a window); the straight joint is plainly visible and shows that the medieval hall fireplace was at the far right end of the room. 17th-century doors probably date the connections between the two wings on the first and second floors. Remains of windows and fireplaces in the attic demonstrate that the building has been truncated. The kingpost roof structure dates to the 1940s.

The rear wing displays on all floors above basement a west gable fireplace flanked by recesses, lit by small rectangular loops. One of these recesses likely led to garderobes while the other served as closets or strong rooms of some kind; housings for door bolts appear on the left-hand recess. In the south and north walls are late medieval windows with triangular recesses containing small interior seats, constructed with unusual cantilevered heads. The first floor north wall windows have slightly rounded heads and are chamfered on the outside. Each room has a fireplace with a massive lintel. First floor ceiling beams feature deep chamfers and hollow stops. The top floor room has an open roof with triangular trusses that appear to be original.

These three chambers are best interpreted as monastic dormitories, each originally divided into four cells by flimsy partitions, providing each religious occupant with their own space and window with seats, while the room was heated in common and provided with its own secure closet and garderobe. Remarkably, such an arrangement has survived substantially intact. However, the floor structure appears to date from the early 17th century, and the main floor beams were clearly inserted after the walls were built (as noted in the exterior description).