Pound Farmhouse (EHER 27643)

The framing and design of the farmhouse are dated to the middle of the 16th century. The house underwent radical remodelling and now has an asymmetrical Regency facade applied to the 16th century hall and cross-wing.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Pound Farmhouse [NAT]. <1> Pound Farmhouse. House of the 16th century or earlier origin with 18th century and later additions and alterations. RCHM 18. Grade II. <2> Pound Farm, house, was built probably late in the 16th century, and is of L-shaped plan with the wings extending towards the north and east. The original central chimney-stack has octagonal shafts. <3> April 2017. Level 2 building survey. The farmhouse began as a timber-framed building with two storeys. The oak frame has narrows bays for the firestacks and an integrated cross-wing. It is likely the front door is in its original position and there was a cross-passage now represented by the framing for the staircase wall. The original winder stairs would have been besides the firestacks. The framing and design would have been commonplace by the middle of the 16th century. The house underwent radical remodelling in 1800-1820. It has an asymmetrical Regency facade applied to the 16th century hall and cross-wing. The large pane unhorned sash windows suggest the early 19th century date. This would have been a result of the increased prosperity of farmers during the Napoleonic Wars. The rear of the house illustrates several phases of change. To the south a cross-wing has been remodelled to form a rear two storey range, as demonstrated by the visible frame inside. To the north, the rear range, which is of interrupted studwork has been added as a service wing in the 18th century. This has further been extended with a lean-to connecting a late 19th century chimney to the back of the house. In the centre of the house is a two-storey tower with gabled roof. This might represent a 17th century stair-tower but it has been so heavily altered that it is doubtful any of the original structure remains. To the west, the walls have been brought out in the mid 19th century. Inside, the dining room represents the hall of the original timber-framed original house but the frame has been largely removed two episodes. Part of the frame was removed in the Regency era to insert the period staircase The original back wall has mortices for the hall window but skew nailed studs have been inserted to form a new doorway. The original central storey post (marked XVII) remains in-situ but the corner storey post (marked XXII) has been moved to form the stairwell. A mortice in XVII is for a new doorhead in the walkway added 1800-1830. The kitchen has an exposed primary braced, nailed interrupted studwork frame with heavy principal posts and ceiling timbers. The style is 18th century but reuses 16th century style main timbers. Most of the visible ceiling has been replaced with bandsawn timbers. The exposed framing in the wall is not convincing and may be a 20th century interpretation using older scantling of different sections. The garage frame has studwork with internally trenched wall braces of 17th century origin. The roof is of a later period, despite being recently heavily repaired. It has an asymmetrical tie-beam fixed with late 19th century wrought iron ties fastened with round headed clout nails. In the wall is a large timber clamp fastened with early 19th century style square headed bolts suggesting there has been a long struggle against failure in this building. The garage has been reassembled in its current position and there are several indicators for this, not least the asymmetric tie-beam that has clearly been cut down to fit. The workshop is a lean-to building with waney elm tie-beams and scantling rafters most of which have been replaced in the late 20th century. It has an early 20th century gate and ledger door fixed with French nails. The interior has been boarded out with tongue and grooved pine quite recently. The pantiles are in good condition and likely 20th century although there appear to be some black glazed ones from the late 19th century. Adjacent to the workshop is a late 20th century link building that does not appear on the 1953 Ordinance Survey Map. It is little more than a flat roofed shed made of machined softwood and boarded walls that is sprung off the garden wall. All the materials are relatively fresh and pint to a date in the 1970s or 80s. <4> See also: <5> <6>