Summary
Early C18 vernacular farmhouse with circa 1800 barn and outbuildings.
Reasons for Designation
* Architecture: good survival of a small vernacular farmhouse retaining extensive evidence of its evolution through the C18 and early C19 with a series of improvements and alterations.
* Date: the principal range being circa 1700 in date with the extensions possibly all being C18, certainly all added by the mid C19.
* Features: retains a good range of early features of particular interest including several doors of different styles, stud and infill partitioning, and the direct entry forehouse with its timber baffle screen. The survival of other features such as the roof structure, chamfered beams and evidence of mullioned windows are more common survivals, but also contribute to special interest.
* Subsidiary structures: the survival of associated farm buildings of circa 1800 provides a historical context for the farm house and their exterior form, like the front garden wall, contributes to the visual setting of the house.
History
The farm house at Hollins Farm is considered to date to the early C18 on the basis of its plan form (typical of circa 1700 - see below) and architectural details; such as the flat-faced mullioned windows implying a post rather than pre-1700 date. The original front range was extended with a two-storey wing to the rear right to accommodate a dogleg stair probably in the mid C18 (on basis of the character of the internal stud partitioning and joinery as well as the form of the external quoining). The stair window was altered, probably at the same time as the front windows around 1800, probably around the same time as the construction of the barn to the south of the house. The single-storey lean-to extension to the rear wing, and the front porch, were both added by the mid C19 as they appear to be shown on the 1859 1:2500 Ordnance Survey map. However, it should be noted that this map depicts the house with a narrower frontage: clearly erroneously as there is no evidence in the fabric of the building that the house was originally narrower. Parson & Whites Directory of 1829 has two entries for Hollins in Middleton parish: a farmer (Thomas Bayliff) and a woollen manufacturer (Henry Bayliff).
Details
Farm house, early C18 with associated farm buildings circa 1800.
MATERIALS
Random rubblestone walls, blue/grey slate roof laid to diminishing courses with sandstone slates to the rear lean-to.
PLAN
Direct entry, two cell with end stacks. Stairs in added rear wing.
EXTERIOR
Front (south): two-storey, two-bay with a large square end stack to the left and a narrower end stack to the right (this flue being contained fully within the thickness of the gable wall). The façade is quoined and there is no evidence of either heightening or widening. The near central entrance is off-set slightly to the left, protected by a gabled, open porch. The door is double boarded with broad irregular boards, the inner (counter) boards are clearly adzed, and the door is hung on spear headed strap hinges. Windows are roughly aligned to create a broadly symmetrical façade, the openings altered to accommodate three-over-three hornless sash windows (the upper right window being replaced with a C20 casement window that, like the other C20 replacement windows, is not of special interest). The lower right and both upper windows retain lintels with stubs of former flat-faced mullions. The lower left window is inserted (probably circa 1800), cutting through a rough, slate drip course. The original two-light, flat-faced mullioned window remains in situ to the left, infilled with rubble stone.
Right (east): the gable wall is also quoined to the rear, with a marked butt joint with the rear wing, and is blind except for a tiny opening to the attic. The rear wing is also quoined. It has a single window, a two-over-two, horned sash to the first floor.
Rear (north): the gabled wing to the left is quoined and has a number of projecting through stones. It has two windows, both with rough timber lintels. The stair window to the right is fixed and has twelve panes, the ground floor window to the left has C20 replacement joinery. The lean-to to the right is not quoined and has a C20 enlarged window.
Left (west): to the left (rear) of the stack in the gable wall there is evidence of a blocked opening to the ground floor which appears to have been converted into a cupboard internally. Above is an inserted window with a concrete lintel. The lean-to to the left has a back door with a large modern replacement window to the left beneath a rough timber lintel.
INTERIOR
Forehouse: the entrance opens directly into the forehouse (principal room) and is partly screened by a planked baffle extending nearly half way into the room, the planks being fixed to one of the two, chamfered ceiling beams spanning front to back. The chimney breast is flanked by large spice cupboards, that to the left retaining oak joinery including a fielded panel door. The cupboard to the right is larger and has pine joinery with a plank door hung on strap hinges: This cupboard may reuse a blocked window opening and is probably C19. The position of the blocked mullion window to the front elevation is shown by its internal timber lintel. The fireplace is thought to be a late C20 creation and is not considered to be of special interest although it incorporates possible medieval stonework.
Parlour: the parlour is a slightly smaller room, divided off from the forehouse by a masonry wall and a plank door of regular planks. This room also has two roughly chamfered ceiling beams, but these span between the gable and the partition wall. The fireplace is modern and there is a spice cupboard recess to its right which lacks its joinery.
Rear wing: the door from the forehouse into the rear wing is modern and opens onto a small stair hall with a simple, hardwood, dogleg staircase with handrails spanning between newel posts without balusters. This staircase is considered to be C18 and in its original position with only minor later modifications. The door to the under stairs cupboard is reused: It is plank and ledged with decorative moulding applied to both sides and is similar to examples dated to the late C17. The stair hall is partitioned from the eastern half of the rear wing by an C18 stud partition with lath and plaster infill panels. The door to the ground floor room (originally probably a dairy) is formed from two broad, hewn planks joined by hewn batons, the door being hung on original spear headed strap hinges and closed with a timber latch. The door lintel through to the lean-to is formed from a substantial former ceiling beam that is chamfered with a run out stop. The lean-to has its own chamfered ceiling beam.
Upper floor: the room over the former dairy is also separated from the stair hall by a similar stud and infill panel partition. Its door is probably early C19 and is of eight fielded panels with its fair face to the landing. Next to it is a matching door to the bedroom above the parlour: this room retains a hearthstone but has lost its fireplace. This is separated from the room above the forehouse by a stud partition (rather than a masonry wall) of unknown construction. This bedroom appears not to have been separately heated and has been subdivided in the C20 to provide a bathroom.
Roof: the principal range retains its traditional roof structure including two collared trusses supporting double purlins that are partially trenched and partly supported by cleats, joints being pegged. Most of the common rafters also appear to be original.
SUBSIDIARY ITEMS
Garden wall: the house has a small front garden enclosed by a drystone wall.
Farm buildings: to the south of the house there is a set of farm buildings probably dating to circa 1800. This includes a south-west facing barn with a small undercroft at its south-east end and an attached range of outbuildings (a shed and stable) set at right angles facing north-west. These are traditionally built of rubble stone with courses of projecting through stones and rough quoining, all beneath blue/grey slate roofing laid to diminishing courses. The principal entrance to the barn has a flat arch of rubblestone voussoirs. The roof structure appears original with simple collared trusses supporting a ridge beam and back purlins. Interiors appear to have undergone some alteration and to the rear, infilling the angle between the two ranges is a large C20 addition which is not of special interest.
