Building to west of White House Farm, Raby

Summary

Small cottage, C17 with C18, C19 and C20 alterations, originally timber-framed and later encased in red sandstone and brick, 1 1/2 storeys.

Reasons for Designation

The building to the west of White House Farm is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: It is an interesting survival of a small, C17 timber-framed cottage enlarged in the C18 and updated in the C19 and C20, whose construction materials and methods reflect the historic building traditions of the Wirral
* Legibility: Each phase of the building's development is readable in the plan layout and the surviving fabric
* Interior survival: It retains interior features from each phase of the building's history, including C17 and C18 chamfered beams, C17 wattle and daub infill panels, early plank and batten doors, and later fireplaces

History

The building to the west of White House Farm is believed to have been constructed as a timber-framed dwelling in the C17, which was later enlarged and encased in stone, brick and render, probably in the C18 and C19. It has been suggested that the building was once an inn known as the Crow's Foot Inn; however, there is no supporting evidence for this suggestion.

The building was last occupied as a residence approximately 50 years ago and since this time it has been variously used as a chicken coop and for farm storage.

Details

PLAN: Two-room plan to each floor with a room to each north and south end. The north ground-floor room has been separated into two, probably in the C19.

EXTERIOR: The building to the west of White House Farm is a small 1 1/2 storey cottage that appears to have originally been constructed as a small, timber-framed cottage with one room to each floor. This is believed to have been extended to the north through the addition of a red sandstone extension (probably in the C18) and then later encased in a mixture of red sandstone and brick (the dominant building materials on the Wirral in the C18 and C19), and finally render. The building originally had a thatch roof but this was replaced by a corrugated tin roof in the mid C20. Two ridge stacks depicted on a photograph believed to date to the early 1900s have been lost.

WEST ELEVATION: A section of large panel timber framing is visible externally to the southern half of the west elevation with later brick infill (some of which is rendered), stone quoining, and two ground-floor windows with tile sills and rendered lintels. The northern half of the elevation is of coursed, dressed sandstone composed of large blocks interspersed with smaller snecks and incorporates a window to the ground floor. All the windows on this elevation are boarded over externally but multipaned, wrought-iron framed windows can be observed internally.

EAST ELEVATION: The southern half of the east elevation is composed of random rubblestone with a small section of brickwork above a C19 plank and batten door with a replaced lintel. The northern half of the elevation is of dressed sandstone with a multi-paned wrought-iron window to the ground floor with a tile sill, and a narrow window opening below the eaves that appears to have formed part of a dormer window at some point. Remnants of whitewash survive to both halves of the elevation.

SOUTH ELEVATION: The gabled south elevation is fully rendered and incorporates a multi-paned wrought-iron window to the ground floor and a four-light, timber casement window to the first floor (both boarded over externally). An early C20 photograph of the cottage depicts visible timbers to the gable apex along with what appear to be either two corbels or the ends of side purlins, but these are no longer visible and it is unclear whether they still survive beneath the render.

NORTH ELEVATION: The gabled north elevation is of sandstone to the lower part and later brickwork to the upper part with a probable mid-C20 red-brick wall stack to the centre. To the right of the upper floor is a four-light, timber casement window (boarded over externally).

INTERIOR: Internally the walls are plastered throughout (the dividing wall between the two large ground-floor rooms has C17 wattle and daub infill panels underneath) and there are tile and floorboard floors, and some lath and plaster ceilings. Early three and four plank and batten doors survive, along with a later plank and batten door leading into the small room created to the north-east corner of the ground floor. Timber framing is visible to the north wall of the south rooms on each floor where plaster has been lost. The south ground-floor room also contains a large stone fireplace to the south wall and two substantial beams running east-west, one of which appears to be chamfered. The north ground-floor room contains two substantial chamfered beams running north-south and a chimneybreast (fireplace removed and rendered over) to the north wall. A later timber stair set alongside the east wall of the south ground-floor room, with a plain newel post, wide stick balusters to the lower part and an enclosed upper section leads to the upper-floor rooms, which have later inserted ceilings. Parts of the roof have been boarded and some of the visible rafters appear to have been replaced. Roof trusses cannot be seen but early braces and substantial side purlins are visible in the south room, which also contains a chimneybreast. The north room contains a chimneybreast with partly exposed stonework and a late C19 cast-iron fireplace.

End of official list entry

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