Summary

A ‘town’ farmhouse, the outer shell and rear wing of which are probably of later 17th or early 18th century. The main block, excluding the rear wing, appears to have been considerably remodelled in the late 18th or early 19th centuries, when the roof was remade using reclaimed roof timbers.

Description

A large stone-built detached farmhouse within the urban area.  Two storeys and attic, with a hipped tiled roof, and a two-storey rear wing attached at the rear on its south side, built of similar materials.

The house has an unconventional plan for an early building in this area. The original central front door, which is now disused, opens to two large reception rooms, one a living room-kitchen identified by the larger fireplace, the other a heated parlour or retiring room.  Behind both rooms is a narrow rear range or outshut containing, at the SW end, the original dog-legged stair position,  and at the NE end, a service room. Two large chamfered beams run from front to back, corresponding to the ridge of the hipped roof.  The whole floor area is raised above the street level, and the internal rooms are unusually high (ground floor 2.58m, first floor 2.55m), hinting that the floor levels may have been changed and the building heightened.  A storeroom below the stair is at a slightly lower level.

The dog-leg staircase rises to a half-landing, lit by a late 17th century leaded glass window, one of two on the staircase, the second is on the landing directly above. Externally, the lintels over these two windows are chamfered, with ogee stops.  The stair continues from the first floor to the attic rooms, now a bedroom within the 3-bay roof. The roof structure is hipped, formed probably in the 18th century with a number of re-used timbers.

A rear wing, may be an early addition to the building at a slightly higher level although no structural junction can now be seen.  The front structure has no thick wall at its junction with this wing.  It clearly contained the farmhouse kitchen with a lateral fireplace, having a heavy (330 x 150+ mm) fire lintel with cut chamfer stops.  The beam bears a number of rushlight burns.  Further along the wing , and no doubt separated off by a partition, now missing, is a very large fireplace, probably serving as the farm bake- or brewhouse.  This has symbolic scratch marks at the centre.  This room has modern ceiling joists and now serves as the sitting room. 

The attic room over the rear wing has two trusses with threaded purlins of the 17th century.  The collar beams of the trusses have been removed.  

The plan of this house is now late 18th century in character (see the Old Vicarage), although the thick outer stone walls, (600mm) and the stair windows strongly suggest that the outer shell of the building is earlier.  This is confirmed by the roof structure of the rear wing, where a pre-1700 or slightly later date is indicated.