Details
ROBOROUGH
SS 51 NE
8/170 Great Barlington Farmhouse and
- ajoining front garden walls
GV II*
Farmhouse. Early C18, possibly altered in the early C19, with minor late C19 or
early C20 alterations and additions. Rendered stone with cob at tops of walls, and
hipped roof with C20 slates (replacing old scantle slates). Brick axial stack off-
centre to left and rendered external end stack to right. Late C19 additions of
roughly squared stone rubble with red brick dressings and monopitch Welsh-slate roof.
Rear wing partly rebuilt c.1900 with red-brick dressings. Roughly squared stone
rubble front garden walls.
Plan and development: Three-room plan facing farmyard to the west (ground falls to
left). Central hall, with kitchen to left and parlour to right. Axial stack between
central hall and kitchen and external end stack to right-hand room. Two parallel
early C18 wings projecting at right-angles to the rear, short staircase wing to the
rear of the kitchen. Passage along rear of kitchen, leading to the staircase hall.
Entrance passage inserted in the right-hand end of the hall (see partition
interrupting C18 cornice) probably in the early C19 (see fenestration) or in the
later C19, and early C18 three-flight square-well staircase. Staircase partly
rebuilt (possibly after a fire) in the late C19 or early C20. C18 or later lean-to
outshut at rear of right-hand end, and c.1900 lean-to dairy outshut at the left-hand
end of the house, with porch projecting to front. The recess in the rear wall of the
hall, facing the staircase, suggests that there might have been large double doors
between the hall and staircase hall. It is also possible that there was formerly a
central front entrance into the hall and that the present asymmetrical arrangement is
an early C19 alteration as the front was probably refenestrated (in old openings) in
the early C19 (see early C19 internal mouldings to glazing bars and one pane of
first-floor left-hand sash dated c.183?). Although the house was apparently newly
built in the early C18 the traditional plan suggests that it was probably erected on
the site of an earlier house. Two storeys, formerly with attic, and one-storey
outshuts.
Adjoining c.1900 low walls enclosing the front garden, the right-hand side a
retaining wall.
Exterior: Almost symmetrical 4-window front; equally - spaced (except for central
ground-floor window). C18 or early C19 boxed glazing bar sashes (12-pane central
windows and 16-pane end windows), retaining old crown glass. Right-hand sashes have
slightly-segmental heads. The lower leaf of the left-hand first-floor sash is a late
C20 replacement with simplified internal mouldings. Doorway between first and second
ground-floor windows from the right with a C20 glazed door. The end wall of the rear
service wing has c.1900 red-brick dressings and a ground-floor C18 sash also with
c.1900 brick dressings. Rear of the staircase wing has a tall round-arched window
(rebuilt in the C20), lighting the half landing.
The front garden wall has curved ramps and a central gateway with pyramidal-capped
square brick piers.
Interior: Central hall with C18 moulded plaster cornice. Inserted passage in right-
hand end of hall. C18 door into right-hand ground-floor room with 6 raised and
fielded panels and moulded architrave. Very fine large early C18 round-arched niche
in the rear wall with cupboard doors and pilastered surround (similar to a doorcase).
Possibly introduced from a larger more important house nearby, although the staircase
was obviously of similar quality before it was altered. Painted graining, Flanking
fluted Doric pilasters with egg and dart ornament to each echinus, supporting
entablature with triglyph frieze and moulded cornice, breaking forward over
pilasters. Two large cupboard doors, each of 3 raised and fielded panels, and
smaller lower cupboard with 2 doors one raised and fielded panel each. All doors
have C18 H-hinges with shaped ends. Moulded dado rail between upper and lower
cupboards. Round-arched semi-circular plan niche within upper cupboard with moulded
architrave, fluted scrolled key, flanking beaded pilasters with moulded imposts and
bases, and 3 moulded double-ogee shaped shelves inside. Head of arch painted
(unfaded) with a red background and a central coat of arms set in a gilded Baroque
cartouche with husk drops large crossed palm fronds below. The kitchen has an open
fireplace with a plain wooden lintel, an arched recess in the front wall (probably
formerly a cream hob) and a cupboard in the left-hand end wall with two 2-panelled
doors and H-hinges. Dairy to left of the kitchen with slate shelves. Circa 1710-20
painted wooden 3-flight square-well staircase, partly rebuilt in the late C19, with
landings, C19 open string with cut brackets, C19 chamfered square balusters (3 per
tread) with stepped stops, C18 columnar newel posts, and ramped handrails with curved
knees, lower 2 flights with C19 handrail and up 2 flights with C18 toad-backed
moulded handrail. Two lower flights have early C18 raised and fielded panelling and
a C18 cupboard door with 6 raised and fielded panels. Wide recess in wall opposite
foot of stairs (possibly blocked doorway). C18 door leading to outshut at rear of
right-hand end with 6 raised and fielded panels and a pegged beaded wooden frame.
Central bedroom has a C18 moulded plaster cornice and a wall cupboard with 2 moulded
panels to each door. C18 door to the right-hand bedroom has 2 large raised and
fielded panels. Most old doors in the house have pegged beaded wooden frames.
C18 roof. Seven bays over the main range, with trusses consisting of straight
principals with notched pegged mortice and tenoned apices and pegged lap-jointed
collars. Two pairs of butt purlins and old rafters pegged into purlins (some rafters
are late C20 replacements). Similar roofs over the rear wings (2-bay over the left-
hand wing). The roof formerly had attic rooms. Mortice and tenoned floor joists.
Attic rooms divided by lath and plastered stud partitions, with outside walls in line
with lower purlins and ceilings at level of the upper purlins. Partitions and
ceilings somewhat dilapilated at time of survey (February 1988). Some graffiti on
partitions in left-hand rear wing, in red paint, including the date 1753, the names
John Hill and Samuel Norman and a crude picture of a chicken. Old winder stair from
first-floor to attic, mostly removed in the late C20 but the top few flights survive.
This house is particularly notable for the well-preserved early C18 round-arched
niche and surround in the right-hand room. Wansley Barton (q.v.) nearby also has
early C18 niches and pilasters of similar quality, although smaller and plainer.
Great Barlington Farmhouse forms part of a complete farmstead group also including 2
ranges of early C18 farmbuildings (q.q.v.).
Listing NGR: SS5667316459
