Summary
Early C18 farmhouse, with C19, C20 and early C21 alterations and extensions.
Reasons for Designation
Ringers Farm, an early C18 farmhouse, with C19, C20 and early C21 alterations and extensions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a good example of a small early C18 farmhouse, exhibiting architectural quality in the treatment of its polite façade and curvilinear gable-ends;
* despite recent internal works in the early C21, the inglenook fireplace, rear stairs and some timber framing survive and the plan-form remains substantially intact.
Historic interest:
* as an evolved historic farmhouse which illustrates vernacular building traditions and a rural way of life in north Norfolk.
History
The farmhouse is illustrated on Faden's map of 1797, located on the edge of Ingworth Common. The building, T-shaped on plan, is shown on the Enclosure map of Banningham dated 1824, and again on the Tithe map dated 1839; the accompanying tithe appointment recorded the property as a ‘house and yards’ owned by Mary Clarke and occupied by James Clarke. The first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1883 appears to show the farmhouse as a rectangular-plan building with an extension to its west side; an extension was added to the east side in the late C19 and appears on the 1906 OS map.
The façade of the farmhouse is C18, and may have been added to a flint-constructed building of earlier date. It appears that there was a further building campaign in the C19 when the farmhouse was extended, the windows replaced, and the roof constructed. In the early C21, the single-storey west extension and one-and half storey east extension were both extended to become one-and-half storey two-bay extensions with gabled dormer attic windows. A former granary building to the east, between the farmhouse and the road, was converted to residential use and extended around 2008.
Details
Early C18 farmhouse, with C19, C20 and early C21 alterations and extensions.
MATERIALS: constructed of coursed flint and brick laid in Flemish bond, with a pantile roof covering.
PLAN: the farmhouse is rectangular on plan, facing south, with narrower rectangular-plan extensions on its east and west sides.
EXTERIOR: the farmhouse is early C18 in date and has late C19, C20 and C21 alterations and extensions. Constructed of coursed flint and brick laid in Flemish bond with interior timber framing, it is two-and-half storeys in height and comprises three bays. The farmhouse has a pitched pantile roof, two end stacks, and Dutch-gable ends featuring contrasting stone copings and two course platbands with a pair of windows above. The front (south) elevation is entirely of brick over a flint plinth and features a dentil cornice. It has a central door with C20 French windows, and blind window above. The door is flanked by two-over-two light, vertical sliding sash windows, with smaller windows above. All have skewback arches. The rear (north) elevation is constructed from flint and has a two-bay outshot beneath a catslide roof. To the east and west, C19 extensions were extended in the early C21 to become two-bay one-and-half storey extensions.
INTERIOR: there is a chamfered, transverse bridging beam and a spine beam centrally located to the outshot. The roof comprises tie beams, with a collar, butt purlins and ridge piece. The outshot has surviving timber cross-frames and houses the stairs, which wind up to the attic floor, and a dairy at ground floor. On the ground floor at the west gable-end, there is a large inglenook fireplace, with in situ bresummer, and on the first floor, a smaller C19 fireplace with timber surround. There are four panelled and timber battened doors throughout and two blocked original window openings at the rear, with very shallow arched heads.
