Description

SKELMERSDALE

SD50NW ELMERS GREEN LANE 783-1/2/10 (East side) Felton's Farmhouse

GV II

Farmhouse, now house. Probably later C16 or very early C17, reduced and remodelled with addition in C18, and subsequently altered. Timber-frame subsequently clad with sandstone and rendered, with scored stucco to the front and right-hand end, roofs of C20 interlocking concrete tiles, brick chimneys. Double-pile plan formed by a single-depth main range (reduced to 2 wide bays flanking a central chimney stack) with a secondary range added to the rear. The 2-storey 2-window front range has a C20 gabled stone porch at the left end, a 2-light casement window to the first bay, 2 similar casements to the 2nd bay, one oblong 3-light casement at 1st floor of each bay, a chimney on the centre of the ridge and another at the right-hand gable. The lower 2-storey 3-window C18 range at the rear has a C20 gabled porch offset to the right and small 2-light casements on both floors. The principal features of interest are in the INTERIOR, where the rear wall of the front range is entirely timber-framed and the wall-plate of the front wall shows that this also is (or was) similarly timber-framed. The framing of the rear wall is of 2:1:2 structural bays, with a stone plinth, timber sill, full-height wall-posts, one intermediate rail and straight angle-braces to the wall-plate. The front wall-plate has pairs of peg holes for a similar series of posts (which may be concealed in the masonry). The narrower centre bay, perhaps formerly a smoke-bay, contains the chimney stack which has a stone heck near to the rear wall, with a chamfered end facing into the west room (the 1st bay) but the top part rebuilt and the bressumer or stone arch of the original fireplace replaced by a beam at ceiling level. At ground floor, each main bay has a chamfered lateral beam, that in the 1st bay with broach stops. At 1st floor the chimney stack is framed by the roof trusses (see below); the 2nd bay has a large stone Tudor-arched chamber fireplace flanked by wooden Tudor-arched doorways built into the cross-frame, that to the right probably indicating that access to this room was by a staircase on the north side of the stack, and that to the left, which is much smaller and has a board door, opening into the void on the south side of the stack. The trusses, of principal-rafter type with raked struts, have carpenter's marks (CCCC and CCC on the east truss, IIII and III on the west truss), straight wind-braces to trenched over-lapped purlins on the north side and vacant wind-brace housings on the south side; the tie-beam of the west truss has been severed at the north end to make a small doorway into 1st bay, but remains of a plank panelled partition to the side of this indicate that the frame was formerly closed in this position; and this bay has a stone flagged floor. HISTORY: the carpenter's marks indicate that the timber-framed range was formerly longer; this fact, and the quality of the framing, suggest that this was probably the largest and oldest of the surviving farmhouses at Elmers Green. Forms a group with the barn approx 20 metres north (qv).

Listing NGR: SD5011206583

External Links

• Wikidata Q26514144

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  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
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  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014