Description

AZERLEY

1610/0/10001 GALPHAY
13-DEC-05 Orchard House

II
House, late C18/early C19, roughly coursed rubble to sides and rear with quoins, south-facing front of dressed and coursed stone with chamfered plain rusticated quoins. Slate roof with slightly raised copings to the front, and three ridge stacks, one at left gable end. Two storeys and three bays with doorway between each bay, left hand one blocked. Single storey, single bay outshut to right with stone slate roof and similar construction to the rest. Both doorways have stone dressings with ears and decorated lintels. Central first floor window is enlarged three-light 24 pane Yorkshire sliding sash with stone dressings, other five windows are two-light 16 pane Yorkshire sliding sashes with plain stone dressings. Rear elevation has one small ground floor window to the left with plain stone dressings, with two-light inserted window above, central round-arched stair window with stone dressings, and small two-light first floor Yorkshire sliding sash to right, adapted from a stone mullioned frame. Outshut to left has door with large quoined jambs and stone lintel. Blocked first floor window in gable end above. Single ground floor window in opposite gable end. Small range of outbuildings in stone with pantile monopitch roof, attached to house by a stone wall. Openings and corners have heavy stone dressings, including one window, a door and a low opening possibly for a pig or other animals.

INTERIOR: Three rooms plus scullery, each room having a fireplace to the left hand (west) wall. Front door opens into central room, stone flagged floor with no skirting boards, fireplace with C19 grate, with recessed cupboards to either side, doors to stairs, kitchen, rear lobby and sitting room to left. Boxed spine beam. Sitting room with fireplace with late C18 grate to left with single window to right. Blocked doorway not visible from inside. Two boxed beams. Kitchen to right with modern range in position of original range. Exposed chamfered spine beam with chamfer stop in front of chimney breast. Pantry/larder in outshut, modern bathroom behind kitchen. To rear of centre room, door to double stairs, right hand side probable later addition. First floor, main bedroom with elaborate cornice, H.L. hinge to panelled door, fitted cupboard and fireplace of late C18 type. Two other bedrooms, one with register grate fireplace and exposed beam, other with projecting chimney flue to one side but no fireplace. Roof contains brick flues, and a mix of C20 common rafters and older cut and pegged purlins, wall plate and rafters.

HISTORY: Until c.1939, the main bedroom contained a plaster decoration in the form of a medallion showing George III's head, above the fireplace. This is assumed to be the origin of the house's former name of Gold Coin Farm.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE
This stone-built former farmhouse has its origins in the eighteenth century or earlier, and was subject to a modest gentrification in the early nineteenth century. Its rather plain exterior hides a high level of original detail and a clear picture of the development of the building.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26670812

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas