Building record 979/4/1 - Birchfield Farmhouse

House. Circa late C16 or early C17, extended later in C17 and remodelled in late C19.

{1} House. Circa late C16 or early C17, extended later in C17 and remodelled in late C19. Squared coursed lias stone; plastered and sham timber framing to gable ends of main range. Machine tile roof with gabled ends. Brick axial and gable end stacks.
PLAN: 2-room lobby entrance plan main range; putative kitchen left (NE) and smaller parlour right (SW) heated from back-to-back fireplaces in central axial stack. Later in C17, a 1-room plan wing with a gable end stack was built at rear of hall. In circa late C19 the house was refashioned and a stairhall was formed at the back of the parlour with a new entrance in the SW gable end.
EXTERIOR: 1 storey and attic. Asymmetrical 2 window NW front with C19 chamfered 2 and 3-light stone mullion windows and chamfered doorway between with C20 panelled door. 2 C19 casements with leaded paned in NE gable. Rear SE has C20 casement and French casements and small brick C20 lean-to extension in angle of wing on left, which has 2-light casement with leaded panes. SW elevation, gabled on left and with C19, 3-light stone mullion windows either side of glazed door with tiled canopy. One C19 gabled dormer on each elevation.
INTERIOR: Left-hand room large chamfered cross-beam and 2 chamfered axial beams without stops. Right-hand room has boxed in axial beam. Rear wing has chamfered axial beam with notched hollow step stops. Generally mid to late C19 joinery including panelled doors and stick baluster staircase; attic has plank doors. Original roof survives with large truss to NE with tenoned collar and apex and large tenoned side purlins, apex trenched for diagonal ridgepiece; trusses also in gable ends. Over SW end roof is complete with common rafters without a ridge purlin.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 11/50 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G01 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

Record last edited

Feb 3 2021 9:38AM