Description

HENNOCK WARMHILL
SX 8380

10/135 Warmhill Farmhouse (formerly listed
- as Warmhill)
23.8.55
GV II*

Farmhouse, now divided into 2 separate houses. Late C16 or C17 with later
additions; core of the house may be late medieval. Solid, roughcast walls.
Concrete-tiled roofs. 4 chimneystacks. In right-hand gable a projecting stack with
C19 rendered shaft on top. On centre of ridge a granite ashlar stack (heating
former hall) with thatch weatherings and tapered top. At left-hand end of ridge,
next to the cross-wing, another large, plain granite ashlar stack. On gabled
projection to right of front door, at the right-hand corner, a small rendered stack,
probably C19. 3-room and through-passage plan with parlour at upper (south) end and
former kitchen at lower (north) end. Abutting lower end on north is a cross-wing,
projecting forward and back; it seems to have had a purely service function. In
front of hall is a deep late C16 or C17 projection with a lean-to stair turret,
probably of similar date, on its right-hand side; at rear of through-passage is a
porch with chamber over, also of late C16 or C17. On south-east side of cross-wing
is a single-storey range, possibly of C17 or C18 date, with a C20 extension on the
east. 2 storeys, with single-storeyed additions. Front (west) elevation consists
of the cross-wing to left, with 1 window in each storey; a central section, 2
windows wide, with door to through-passage on right; the gabled projection to right
of this, with 1 window in each storey; and a further section to the right again,
including the stair turret, with no windows. The windows are mostly C19 wood
casements. Cross-wing windows are of 3 lights with 8 panes per light, except for
the centre light in second-storey window, which has 2 panes. In the centre section
the left-hand window in each storey is of 3 lights, the ground-storey window with 4
panes per light and the second-storey window with 8 panes per light. To right of
ground storey is the late C16 por C17 front door. This is a plank door with moulded
and studded ribs making up 3 rows of 4 panels each; 2 contemporary; wrought-iron
strap-hinges having fleurs-de-lis terminals running under the ribs. Old wrought-
iron knocker with a pair of hearts. Door-frame is ovolo-moulded with elaborated
scroll-stops, the head of the frame enriched with simple dog-tooth carving; lintel
of doorway is ovolo-moulded with step-stops. Gabled porch, which seems to be mostly
C20. Above it in second storey is a small, single-light wood casement window with 2
panes. The projection to right of door is gabled, having a small C20 window in
ground storey and a late C16 or C17 wooden oriel window in second storey. The oriel
has a moulded base carried on 3 carved brackets. The upper part has ovolo-moulded
mullions, with 3 lights at the front and 1 in each of the canted sides; glazing is
C19, with 2 panes per light. The left-hand side of the projecting wing has a 2-
light wood casement in ground storey with 2 panes per light; to left of it a C20
glazed door. The stair turret has a 6-pane sash to the south. Rear elevation has
mostly early or mid C19 6-paned wood sash windows. The porch at rear of through-
passage has oriel window in second storey like that at the front; the ground storey
has been enclosed in C20, the posts at the front being replaced by 2 wooden screws
from cider presses. Plank door at rear of passage, with wrought-iron strap-hinges;
door-frame is ovolo-moulded with raised run-out stops, the head of the frame being
carved with dog-tooth ornament like that at the front.
Interior: hall and parlour have ceiling-beams with ovolo-mouldings and scroll-
stops; between them is a plank-and-muntin screen with similar mouldings and stops
on both sides. There are the remains of similar screens on both sides of the
through-passage. Most of the hall side of the passage, however, is taken up by the
rear of the hall stack; this is of granite ashlar with chamfered plinth and
cornice. The door from hall to passage (moved from first floor) is late C16
or C17 with 3 tall moulded panels. On the second storey) the doorway to the room
over the east porch, and one other doorway, have ovolo-moulded door-frames with
notched scroll-stops. The doorway at the head of the staircase on the west side
also has an ovolo-moulded frame, but with tiny vase-stops. In the corridor is a Cl7
plank door with scratch mouldings on the edges of the panels and wrought-iron butter-
fly hinges. At the lower end, which is now a separate house, the ground-storey room
has a gable fireplace with plain granite jambs and a chamfered wood lintel having
scroll-stops; in the back is a C19 oven with iron door. The second-storey room
above this has a wood bolection-moulded chimneypiece with moulded cornice of circa
1700; C19 cast-iron hob grate inside. Room has remains of a moulded plaster cornice,
probably also of circa 1700. The roof of whole house has been almost entirely
rebuilt in C20. 1 truss, possibly medieval and smoke-blackened survives with the
hall stack built on to it. The apex is much lower than the present ridge; it has
threaded purlins and ridge-piece with a triangular strengthening-piece at the apex.
Another early truss survives at the rear of the projection on the west side.

Listing NGR: SX8343880398

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17534830

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)