Scrithwaite Farmhouse, laundry and bank barns

Summary

A good example of a cruck-framed 17th century Westmorland farmhouse, which was extended in the 18th and mid-late 19th centuries. It has a detached laundry, also built in the mid-to-later 19th century. The farmstead contains two bank barns of either late 18th century or early 19th century date .

Reasons for Designation

Scrithwaite Farmhouse and barns are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* the farmhouse is an evolved dwelling whose C17 two-and-a-half unit plan is well-preserved and legible within the present building;
* the farmhouse has good survival of structural fabric, including mass walling, ceiling beams, and an original upper cruck roof structure in the house comprising at least two pegged upper cruck pairs;
* the farmhouse retains a range of historic internal fixtures and fittings, such as floor slabs, dog-leg staircase, a timber and plaster panel, spice cupboard, and a beef loft;
* the bank barn complex remains legible, despite some losses of historic fabric, and its agricultural functions are well expressed.
* it is a good example of an evolved Westmorland farmstead, which contributes to our understanding of regional diversity and local vernacular style and materials;

Group value:

* taken together the farmhouse and its barns form a small agricultural grouping that share historical, functional, and spatial group value, which enhances the interest of all elements.

History

The first edition 1:10,560 Ordnance Survey (OS) map surveyed in 1846 clearly depicts Scrithwaite Farm with a different plan-form to that of today. It is shown as a smaller, detached farmhouse with a rear stair turret, with a small detached agricultural building immediately to its right. The dwelling depicted in 1846 is thought to have been constructed in the C17 as a two and a half bay, two-storey, upper cruck-framed farmhouse comprising a firehouse with inglenook, a parlour and small pantry. Before the addition of the second floor, there would have been a sleeping loft over. The original dwelling structure is retained within the enlarged footprint of the building, that was created when the dwelling and formerly detached agricultural building were amalgamated into a linear range in the mid-late-C19. The associated laundry is of similar date.

Also depicted in 1846 and situated to the north-east of the dwelling there is an L-shaped barn complex, which is shown as a single undivided building. This building is thought to be of at least two phases and originated in the late-C18 or early-C19. Parts of the south-east elevation are thought to have been rebuilt in the C20.

Details

Farmhouse, C17, extended in the C18 and mid-late C19, a mid-to-later-C19 laundry, and two bank barns of late-C18 or early-C19 date, with C20 and C21 alterations.

MATERIALS: all buildings are of local stone rubble with graduated Westmorland slate roofs; the farmhouse range is rendered.

PLAN: the linear farmhouse and agricultural range is oriented north-east to south-west, incorporating the remains of an earlier dwelling. The bank barn complex to the east is L-shaped with a west range aligned north-west to south-east and a north range aligned north-east to south-west.

FARMHOUSE EXTERIOR: a two-storey range beneath pitched roofs, with a central chimney stack. Sash windows are generally unhorned. The main (south-east) elevation has two domestic entrances with timber and glazed doors and a single agricultural entrance to the north-east end. There are four ground floor windows and five to the first floor, all within deep reveals and mostly fitted with three-over-three unhorned sash windows; that to the firehouse has a six-over-six sash. Fallen render to a first-floor window has revealed a wany timber lintel that might be of mullioned form. The left return has a single first-floor rear window, and the right return and rear elevations are built into the hillside. The rear elevation has a rectangular stair tower with stair window.

FARMHOUSE INTERIOR: throughout the ground floor there is a similar historic character of crude, uneven plastered walls, and original stone slab floors, and there are multiple waney ceiling beams, some chamfered. The southern pair of rooms comprise the earlier cruck-framed dwelling of firehouse and parlour, the latter subdivided to create a small pantry. The firehouse is entered through an original crude gable entrance around the end of an inglenook; there is a substantial chamfered beam spanning the full width of the room which forms the tie-beam of a upper cruck truss, and also serves as a fire beam which would have supported an original fire hood; the lower part of a curving cruck blade rises from one end of this beam, and the beam has a short curving cut away, thought to be the former site of a heck post. The inglenook is lit by a fire window, now blocked externally, and it also has a beef loft fitted with several meat hooks, and a spice cupboard with a door of three fielded panels. There is also fixed seating to the inglenook, and a later brick-built fireplace housing a C19 cast-iron range. Metal supports for timber hangers are attached to some of the ceiling beams. The firehouse is separated from a parlour by a cross passage which has short, chamfered ceiling beams spanning its width, and which terminates at a rear staircase. The parlour has a C19 chimney piece fitted with a mid-C19 grate. Next to the parlour is an original narrow pantry that retains slate sconces, and which has a substantial beam similar to that of the firehouse, and is thought to be the tie-beam of a second cruck pair; the beam continues into the parlour encased in timber. The north part of the house is an C18 addition which comprises a kitchen and large pantry; the latter retains a full complement of stone sconces, and the kitchen retains a full-height stone fireplace with a C20 range.

The dog leg staircase with C20 balustrade rises to the first floor within a semi-circular rear stair turret. There are a number of small low-ceilinged rooms off a linear, rear passage spanning the length of the building. Within the original dwelling parts of a pair of cruck blades are visible emerging from each external wall. The timbers are clearly jointed and pegged to a collar beam, and where visible there are purlins and a ridge piece. On the other side of an inserted partition, the cruck blade and collar remain but are boxed in. Associated with the cruck is a length of plaster and plank partition formed of a framework of roughly-shaped vertical posts with laths placed across in between the verticals, and plastered over. There is also a small four-light timber mullioned window with a flat-faced central mullion on the south-east elevation. Although blocked externally, it is a good example of the original C17 window forms, and others are likely to survive behind later decoration. The raised roof of the beef loft is also visible, and above this there are the remains of a stone fire hood supported on a pair of projecting stone supports.

SUBSIDIARY ITEMS: a small, rectangular laundry with a curved side has a pitched roof and an apex chimney stack, a gable entrance, and a single window to one long side. It has a replaced roof structure, and a red-brick set pot to one corner.

BARN EXTERIORS: The west range is a former threshing barn and its south-west elevation has a full-height cart entrance beneath a pentice roof, with a single ventilation slit above, and to the left is a single entrance. A C20 addition obscures the rest of the elevation. The right return has a cat slide roof, with window and door openings and the left return has an apex window. The rear elevation has an opposing full-height double cart entrance affirming the threshing function. The north range comprises a single-storey element that is either a rebuilding of an earlier structure or a more recent infill. There is also a double-height barn with prominent quoins and rows of through stones. It's south-east elevation has an original ground-floor entrance with a slab lintel, and a pair of ventilation slits and a dovecote above with stone perching ledge. An inserted vehicular entrance appears to have destabilised the historic fabric above, and there is evidence of rebuilding. The north-west elevation of this range is built into the hillside, and is all of similar construction with several openings to plain lofts.

BARN INTERIORS: The interior of the barn complex’s west range has whitewashed walls and a replacement, double purlin roof structure. Its north-west end has a series of stepped, stone and timber-built platforms lined with stone slabs. It retains a central threshing floor of timber and stone slabs. The south-east end is raised to allow for the roof of the undercroft, and there is a trap door through which animal feed was lowered. The undercroft is a plain space, now converted to a workshop. The barn complex's north range has replacement roof structures, and the single-storey element has plain interiors, and a mid-C20 concrete byre. The undercroft of the two-storey barn retains wany timber roof supports, and an original timber and slate byre formed of double stalls or boskins, with a cobbled feed/fodder gang.

Sources

Books and journals
Brunskill, RW, Traditional Buildings of Cumbria (2002),
Denyer, S, Traditional Buildings and Life in The Lake District (1991),

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