Summary

The architectural evidence for the date of construction is consistent with the 1624 date stone on the front of the house.  The house is unusual in so far as the quality of the detail of the front windows is higher than would be expected of small 2-bay house. 

The original roof structure, which remains, is typical of the early 17th century; the only unusual factor is the ‘diminishing’ of the principal rafters below the collar joint. In mid-late medieval construction the diminishing of the principals usually takes place above a purlin junction.

Description

The farmhouse, which carries a datestone on the front of 1624, is a two bay building, of two storeys with a disused attic storey. 

The original entrance seems to be from the rear, a cross passage opening in to the wider kitchen bay at the NE end, the occupants probably screened by a lobby.  This room has a large inglenook fireplace, probably with a bread oven and a recess for a cupboard at the side. The inglenook is now blocked and has a modern stone fireplace. 

The SW bay was the living room (now the dining room) and was heated by a fireplace in the stack at the gable end.  Both rooms had 3-light stone mullioned windows to the NW front, of which only the sill, head and label mouldings survive. 

A stair has been constructed in the former kitchen from beside the rear entrance rising over the cupboard recess.  This may be the position of the original stair.

The first floor is a repeat of the ground floor, with chamfered ceiling beams without stops, being the bottom member of the roof trusses. At both ends, there are small windows at the side of the stacks, presumably for closets/wardrobes.

The present rear wing seems to be a rebuild of a single bay rear service room  (evidenced by relict quoins on the NE side of the rear wing).   This has been rebuilt and extended in both brick and stone at various times, ending in a barn and stable.  It is not clear whether this short rear bay is original to the 1624 structure, but the lack of service accommodation within the front block suggests it was. The angle of the long rear wing shown on the 1779 map (see below) may be a draughtsman’s error.

The first floor rooms have heavy chamfered cross beams with only slight chamfer stops.  The plastered flue in the roof space in front of the wall suggests that the SW bedroom was originally unheated.

The roof is divided into three bays by two open original collar-beam trusses rising off the heavy bedroom ceiling beams. The principals, of 265 x 210mm scantling are diminished (unusually) below the collar mortices.  They carry two tiers of trenched purlins, which are scarfed and pegged.  The apex of the principals is single pegged, the collars doubly pegged.

The roof covering was originally thatch between raised coped gables until c.1945, when the rafters were replaced and some new purlins added to the front slope, the roof then covered with tile.

Truss 2 crossed at Apex