Description

LUPPITT
ST 10 SE
10/62 Smithenhayes Farmhouse
-
- II*
Farmhouse. Early C16, enlarged and rearranged apparently in a single late C16 -
early C17 building phase, modernised circa 1975. Local stone and flint rubble with
a good deal of cob in the rear wall; stone rubble stacks one with a stone rubble
chimneyshaft the other one topped with C19 brick; thatch roof, interlocking tile
roofs to the outshots.
Plan and development: 3-room-and-through-passage plan house facing south and built
down a gentle hillslope. Uphill at the left (west) end is an unheated inner room,
probably a former dairy or buttery. The hall next to it has an axial stack backing
onto the passage and at the right end is the former service end kitchen with a
gable-end stack.
This layout is the result of a major late C16 - early C17 rearrangement and
enlargement of the original farmhouse which occupied the inner room, hall and
passage section. The stone rubble crosswall on the lower side of the passage is the
original end wall. There were undoutedly some improvements to the house between the
early C16 and the late C16 - early C17 but any evidence of them is either hidden or
has been replaced. Nor is it possible to determine the early layout although it was
certainly some kind of open hall house heated by an open hearth fire.
House is 2 storeys with secondary lean-to outshots to rear.
Exterior: irregular front fenestration with 4 ground floor windows and 3 first
floor windows, all late C19 and C20 casements with glazing bars. The passage front
doorway is right of centre and contains a C20 part-glazed plank door. Immediately
to right the straight join shows between the original house and the kitchen
extension. The roof is half-hipped to left and gable-ended to right.
Interior: the passage is wide and floored with C19 brick. The rear doorway (now to
the rear outshots) has an original early C16 oak frame and is a 2-centred arch.
Another similar doorframe has been reset in the rear outshot which is now used as
the kitchen. On the right (former kitchen) side of the passage the doorway contains
a late C16 - early C17 oak doorframe with an unusually shaped head (like an angular
ogee arch) and chamfered surround. Both the hall and former kitchen have chamfered
crossbeams with pyramid stops although one crossbeam in the kitchen has unstopped
chamfers. Both fireplaces are large and have limestone ashlar jambs, oak lintels
and chamfered surrounds with pyramid stops. The hall fireplace has panelled cheeks
with some interesting old graffitis. The oven in this fireplace is a C19 insertion.
No carpentry is exposed in the inner room.
On the first floor there was a small window in the rear wall over the passage
doorway. It is blocked but still contains a late C16 - early C17 2-light oak window
with chamfered mullion. During the circa 1975 renovation a contemporary larger 2-
light window was removed from the rear wall of the hall. It and the western
crossbeam there were found to be in the blocking of the original full height window
embrasure, the upper sides of which were smoke-blackened from the original open
hearth fire. Although there was only limited access available to the roofspace at
the time of this survey the roof structure over the hall was seen to be smoke-
blackened. It is carried on side-pegged jointed cruck trusses and there is an
original hip cruck in the lower passage wall. The roof over the former kitchen
extension is carried on late C16 -early C17 side-pegged jointed cruck trusses which
are set into the tops of the crossbeams.
Smithenhayes is an attractive,interesting and well-preserved farmhouse.

Listing NGR: ST1844104256

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17546787

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

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  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy