Mid 19th century outbuilding at Skilletts Farm, School Road, Pentlow (EHER 80273)

The construction of the building can be accurately dated to between 1850 and 1870. The identical methods and materials used in the construction of both parts of the building suggest that they were if not precisely contemporary, at least broadly contiguous.

July 2022. Level 2 building survey. The stable and cart lodge door and window openings are thought to be an original part of the building. The bricks are shallowly frogged, suggesting a date of c. 1850 onwards. The lower part of the wall has a burnt brick diaper pattern, and the upper part of the wall has a chequer pattern. There is a soft-wood vertical-slatted window in the western side of the stable as well as a stable door hung on a strap hinge and pintle. The window has queen closers to the left, but none are visible to the right, and the bricks which are to the right appear to have been repointed at some stage and do not match the burnt brick chequer pattern on the rest of the upper wall, suggesting that the window opening may have been resized. The double door on the cart lodge was constructed in the same way as the stable door with almost identical hinges. At some stage, the double door appears to have been given additional support in the form of a central pillar. There is some graffiti on the bricks between the stable door and the double door. The cattle shed to the south has been partially rebuilt, with the western façade now constructed of new bricks in Flemish bond in front of a course of breeze blocks. Its window and door openings are thought to be in the original positions but have been rebuilt and have modern casement windows. There is no door in the door opening. A modern timber lean-to shed covers half of the cattle shed wall. There are three small, shuttered windows along the eastern wall of the building – these are all right at the top of the wall and were probably for ventilation rather than light. The roof on the eastern side of the cattle shed is corrugated iron sheeting. The northern wall of the building extends into the pond to the north of the building. It is brick to the apex and laid in Flemish bond with lime mortar. Like the western wall of the stable and cart lodge, the upper part of the wall has burnt-brick chequer patterning. The lower part of the wall has the symbols X X above V W laid into it in burnt bricks. A metal brace overlays the righthand X. The interior of the building is coherent throughout the three different rooms. The roof is slate over sarking board throughout, with wall plates topping the brickwork and rafters rising to a ridge board. The rafters are carried on a single purlin. All the timber within the roof is machine cut and nailed. In the stable, the roof has three collars with high collars above, in the cart lodge there are two collars and high collars. <1>