The Ashes

Summary

A house, thought to have been built as a hunting lodge in the mid 16th century with late 16th century wall paintings, of a type unusual in Cumbria, and 18th century alterations.

Reasons for Designation

The Ashes, a mid-C16 vernacular dwelling, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* a handsome Cumbrian vernacular exterior that retains original fenestration and other features that illustrate its evolved nature;
* an interior of considerable interest that retains many original and historic features, including a large, shallow, segmental-arched stone fireplace, a very fine hollow-chamfered beamed ceiling, and traces of a newel staircase;
* the original five-bay, pegged, king-post roof structure with carpenters’ marks remains in situ, with all timbers likely to have been felled in or around AD 1561;
* its overall evolved plan form is highly legible, and additions such as re-used C16 roof timbers, a rear outshut, and C18 decorative features to the parlour add to the overall interest of the building;
* it retains mid-C16 wall paintings in Grotesque style that are rare in Cumbria, and the combination of various motifs are unusual nationally.

Historic interest:

* it is thought to have originated as a hunting lodge in Inglewood Forest, and has been confirmed by dendrochronology to date to the mid-C16.

History

It has been suggested that this dwelling originated as a hunting lodge within Inglewood Forest. Its external appearance and the nature of the hall ceiling supports a construction date in the mid-C16. Preliminary results from recent dendrochronological work indicate that the primary phase timbers in the roof of the house are coeval with some of the house floor timbers, and also with some of the timbers thought to be secondary to the roof (probably reused). All dated timbers are likely to have been felled in or around 1561, which confirms a mid-C16 date for its construction, probably in the early 1560s. Dendrochronology has not identified any potentially earlier timbers. The original building had two storeys plus an attic, and comprised two principal ground floor rooms. Evidence at the corners of the main elevation, and older remnants within the south garden wall suggest the possibility of former east-west range to the south-east and north-east angles of the house, forming an enclosed courtyard; these possible ranges may have contained service areas, as the main house’s footprint is too small to accommodate these. The possibility that the building was partially defensive in nature is supported by its thick walls, and the original, small openings to the rear elevation.

In the late C20, early wall paintings were discovered to the upper floor; appearing to depict foliage and a dog. This led to the suggestion that they represented a C16 hunting scene. However, the discovery of similar wall paintings to the ground floor hall, and further analysis, suggests that they are an imitation textile design with Grotesque work incorporating fantastic foliage and beasts. They are characteristic of the late C16 and employ a secco technique, drawn in black onto a white background. Such wall paintings are rare in Cumbria and these are significant examples.

The 1592 will and inventory of William Simpson, Bailiff of Castle Sowerby Manor, is clear that he was resident at The Ashes. He bequeaths various livestock to individuals, and the remainder of his estate to his wife Grace and his son and daughter. He also bequeaths a Flanders chest and table to his son which are to remain at the house. The accompanying inventory includes various livestock, bushels of barley, oats and malt, feather and other beds with furniture, bedding, a tablecloth, a cupboard in the hall, and his clothes. William Simpson was clearly a wealthy man, and it is tempting to think that he and Grace may have been the first residents of the house.

Details

House, mid-C16 with late-C16 wall paintings, with C18 and later alterations.

MATERIALS: roughly squared and coursed pink sandstone (Greystoke Pink) with red sandstone quoins and dressings, the east elevation and north gable subsequently rendered. The roof covering is Lakeland slate with sandstone chimney stacks.

PLAN: a rectangular, thick-walled house range oriented north-south, with a secondary, continuous rear outshut.

EXTERIOR: the main east-facing elevation stands on a rough plinth, and has two storeys and five bays, beneath a pitched roof of graduated Lakeland slate, with coped gables and end corniced chimney stacks. The four ground floor windows have round-arched lights in double-chamfered surrounds, with small sunk panels in the spandrels; all have individual hoodmoulds with label stops. These windows are characteristic of the mid-C16 in Cumbria. The first floor has five square-headed stone mullioned windows, with a continuous, interlinked hood mould. Their surrounds have a small step and a single chamfer, and they appear less weathered than those of the ground floor. Each floor has a three-light window at the south end, and others of two lights. The central ground floor bay has an off-set entrance with a top-glazed four-panel door set within a square-headed chamfered stone surround. The form of its head suggests that it formerly had a triangular arch. The angle of the lower quoins at the south-east corner of the elevation have been cut diagonally, and small sockets for bars suggests the former presence of a small window here; it has been suggested that this could only have been set within an angle of the main house and a now removed south range. A corresponding feature (rendered) in the same position on the north-east corner possibly suggests a similar feature here, associated with a now removed north range.

The right return is partially rendered, but where there is exposed stonework parts of two windows are visible: a first floor single-light square-headed window in a chamfered surround and a larger window of similar form at about attic level, possibly lighting a former stair well. The left return is exposed red sandstone, with a pair of small, square-headed windows at attic level either side of the chimney stack. The rear elevation (now internal to the outshut) has three small original windows, one at ground floor and two at first floor. The rear outshut has three C20 windows to each floor, all fitted with double, four-light casements, and a single large semi-circular ground floor window to the right end.

INTERIOR: entered from the east doorway into an east-west cross passage with a parlour off to the north and a hall off to the south. The north door jamb is rounded in plan, but that to the south is located hard against the partition between the hall and the passage, suggesting some alteration. The opposing door into the outshut at the west end of the cross passage appears modern in character. The hall has a stone-flagged floor, a high-quality oak beamed ceiling, whose principal moulded beams have hollow double chamfers; they are set north-south with heavier moulded axial joints with shallow arched soffits and sunk panels in the spandrels forming panels of smaller joists. The hall also has a large, shallow, segmental-arched stone fireplace, chamfered and with stops to each jamb, a spice cupboard recess, and what is possibly the remains of a newel staircase next to this fireplace. During restoration work, further remains of early wall paintings were uncovered within this room, part of which remains visible between the main windows. The oak ceiling continues through to the passage (which has evidence of a former stair trap) indicating that the passage partition wall is an insertion. The parlour has an C18 plaster ceiling and cornice, two boxed-in ceiling beams with panelled soffits, and a fireplace with chamfered surround; the latter appears to have had a shallow triangular arched head within a square frame, later cut away. An enclosed, blind passage divided from the north end of the parlour by a substantial wall, may have formerly housed the original staircase. The rear outshut houses an old stone stair. Doors throughout are mostly a variety of wide plank boards with strap hinges.

The first-floor partitions are relatively modern, and original early ceiling beams are visible throughout. There is a chamfered Tudor-arched fireplace in the north gable wall, and the remains of C16 Grotesque work wall paintings to the north and west walls. The paintings are arranged in panels to the right and left of the fireplace and to the chimneybreast, and extend into the sandstone window frame. They are framed by a top and bottom border. They depict fantastic foliage and beasts including to the right of the fireplace two grotesque head profiles, and a dog’s head with foliage to the west wall. The paintings are thought to have continued around the room, and further remains are thought to survive behind plastered walls.

The original five-bay, king post roof structure with carpenters’ marks remains in situ, and the slender king posts have broad jewelled heads and raking struts. Additional outer principals were added when the eaves level was raised in response to the addition of the rear outshut. These timbers are reused and have peg holes and mortices. All of these timbers have been dated by dendrochronology to the mid-C16.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

73733

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Brunskill, RW, Traditional Buildings of Cumbria, (2002)
Burkett, M, Cumbrian Wall Paintings in Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Vol. XCIV, (1999), 173-174

Websites
Tree ring dating report, Historic England February 2025, accessed 13.02.2025 from https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/61-2024?search=61%2F2024&searchType=research+report

Other
The Ashes: An archaeological/structural Assessment PF Ryder 2005
The Ashes, Raughton Head, Cumbria: Report on the recently Disovered Wall Painting; Andrea Kirkham Conservation Ltd 2021
The Ashes, Raughton Head, Cumbria: Wall Painting Treatment Report; Andrea Kirkham Conservation Ltd 2022
The Ashes, Raughton Head, Cumbria: Conservation of the Wall Painting; Andrea Kirkham Conservation Ltd 2013
The Ashes, Raughton Head, Cumbria: Report on the Recently Disovered Wall Paintings in the Hall; Andrea Kirkham Conservation Ltd 2012

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.