FAIRLANDS FARM

The western range incorporates the floor framing, roof structure and internal arrangement of a C17 lobby entrance house. The entrance on the north elevation leads into a room to the north of a large in-situ stack constructed generally with thin handmade bricks of C17. This room has a large inglenook fireplace with bread oven, settle positions and a substantial bressumer which may be original although the brackets which support it are not. Attached to the stack is an iron fire back with the date 1588, letters IHC and anchor motifs. To the right of the stack is a C17 timber battened door with small inserted glazed opening. The door has a strap hinge and door latch which are probably C17. A timber battened door to the left of the stack has been remodelled, but also has a latch and hinge which may beC17. A chamfered axial bridging beam with delicate lambs tongue stops is cut away at the north end by the C19 wall. A parallel beam to the east has been encased with modern materials, but may mark the position of the original front wall of the C17 house, now removed. The stack is located within its own bay with a winding stair with reset treads to the rear (west). Another fireplace on the south side of the stack indicates that this space, remodelled in the C19, was once another room in the C17 house. Another axial chamfered bridging beam with delicate lambs tongue stops spans from the stack to the south wall of the house where it fixes into a midrail, but other elements of the external wall of the C17 house have been removed by the encasing. The first floor of the western range is accessed by the winding stair to the rear of the stack and by a mid C19 stair in the projecting wing to the east. Sections of the wall plate, jowled and straight wall posts and part of a tie beam are probably the remnants of projecting wing of C17 date which have been incorporated into the C19 projecting wing. As on the ground floor, the internal layout focuses around the stack. To the east and west, corridors with chamfered and stopped arched door surrounds access the room to the north which has in situ wide oak floor boards, and two timber battened doors, one with an HL hinge. A C18 hob plate has been inserted into the south of the stack, and the rooms to the south have been remodelled, but both first floor rooms have axial chamfered bridging beams with lambs tongue stops. In addition the wall plate is apparent to the west and east. An in situ, contemporary winding stair to the rear of the tapering stack leads to the attic where a common coupled rafter roof, pegged and jointed, with side purlins, bird-mouth collars and wind braces appears to survive substantially intact. Both the ground and first floor of the eastern range incorporate built in cupboards, window shutters, 4 panel doors and simple cornices typical of mid C19 houses. Some C19 fireplaces remain. A corridor runs north-south through the ground floor house from which a door leads to a cellar.

Reason for Designation Decision:

• It retains significant elements of a C17 timber framed lobby entrance house included a common coupled rafter roof, floor framing, large stack and winding stairs from ground to attic level.
• It retains significant fixtures and fittings of the C17 including doors, door furniture and a distinctive fireback of 1588.
• It retains a legible internal layout of the C17 house.
• It demonstrates the evolution of domestic building form the C17 and is indicative of the social and economic history of the area.