Description

LEIGH

1896/0/10035 MYNTHURST
22-SEP-06 Rigden Farm

II
Former farmhouse, now house. Mid C16 eastern bay, extended to the north west and south in the early C17 and extended westwards by two bays in the C18. A north east service extension was added after 1871, the east wall rebuilt circa 1900 and a C20 porch added. The flat-roofed C20 extension to the north and lean-to conservatory to the west are not of special interest.

MATERIALS: The eastern bay with north west and south additions are timberframed, the timber frame with some brick infill is visible to the north west, but externally it is mainly tile-hung to the south and refronted in painted brick to the east. The western two bays are of brick now painted. The roof is tiled with a tall ridge stack where the early and later wings join and another in the south wall.

PLAN: The eastern bay is the remaining bay of a smoke bay or early chimney house. This was later extended by one bay to the north west and a south staircase tower and south rooms on each floor extended. In the C18 a two bay parlour wing was built to the west, possibly replacing an earlier structure.

EXTERIOR: The south or entrance front has a tiled roof in two heights, the earliest part to the east with end brick chimney lower than the west wing. It has two projecting gables, the left one a staircase tower hung with pointed tiles with two small original leaded light mullioned windows, the right side gable hung with pointed tiles but painted brick below with triple C20 sash, wide plank door and gabled wooden C20 porch incorporating wooden seats. The C18 west wing is of painted brick with a tall brick chimneystack in the southern wall heating the western room and three late C19 casements within original openings, including a four-light window with a cambered arch to the ground floor. The east elevation, which is of painted brick, has one large gable, spanning the earliest wing and a smaller gable which is C19. The large gable has three late C19 or early C20 casements and the smaller gable an early C20 five-light bay with leaded lights. The north front projects to the eastern side. The eastern bay is C19 but adjoining is a C17 timberframed bay with tiled gable and brick infill. The hipped roof ground floor C20 extension is not of special interest. The C18 western part has a brick stringcourse, a three-light and a four-light casement window with leaded lights on each floor and brick relieving arches on the ground floor. The west side has a C20 tile-hung gable, a casement window to the first floor and a C20 lean-to conservatory to the ground floor which is not of special interest.

INTERIOR: The ground floor front lobby has exposed C17 ceiling beams and the sockets for a diamond mullioned window in what would have been the south external wall of the original C16 house. The dining room, the ground floor room of the C16 house, has floor joists with half-inch chamfers and lambs tongue stops. The north wall of this room is the original external wall of the C16 range with exposed framing and winder stairs leading to a C17 north first floor room with ledged plank door, visible tie beam, queenposts, diagonal tension braces and some exposed rafters. The drawing room, the central room on the ground floor, has a large open fireplace with wooden bressumer, spice recesses and side seats. The C18 spine beam has a half inch chamfer and runout stops and the ceiling beams are unchamfered. There is an C18 two-panelled door to the south east and an adjoining plank door with pintle hinges leading to a large larder with tiled floor. The western ground floor room was the parlour and is entered by an C18 two-panelled door with L-hinges and has a wooden bolection-moulded fireplace in the south wall flanked by C18 cupboards. The ceiling has a square section spine beam and floor joists and the original partition wall with timber posts of thin scantling survives between the two C18 ground floor roooms. Access to the main part of the first floor is by the southern C17 timberframed staircase tower. This contains a wooden winder staircase with a chamfered newel post with runout stop and carved knop. At the top of the stairs is a C17 plank door with pintle hinges leading to a large cupboard in which is visible a curved windbrace, midrail and wallplate. The eastern bedroom is entered by a ledged three plank door on pintle hinges in a chamfered surround with lambs tongue stops. It has a tiebeam and queenposts exposed in the north wall and the wallplate is visible on the east and west sides with a curved windbrace and a scarf joint visible in the east side. The south side also has a wallplate visible supported on a jowled post which has been turned round to support it. An aperture at the side of the chimney reveals a smoke-blackened principal rafter, indicating either a bacon loft or a smoke bay pre-dating the chimney, and pegged rafters. The two bedrooms in the C18 west wing each have an C18 two-panelled door, the westernmost with L-hinges, and there is a blocked fireplace to the former central bedroom. The original partition wall between the two bedrooms survives but further later partitions have been inserted to enclose a bathroom. A 2006 Domestic Buildings Research Group Report indicates that this wing has a butt purlin roof.

HISTORY: The name Rigden is derived from the c.1350-1501 "Wrikendone" and "Wrikkenden bridge" mentioned in the Arundel Archive. In 1534 there is a mention of "Wrigden Bridge" in the letters and papers of Henry VIII. On both Rocque's map of 1762 and Lindley and Crossley's map of 1793 it is called Hill House, possibly named after a former occupant "Richard Hill, Yeoman" whose probate inventory was dated 1667. On Greenwood's map of 1823 it is called "Rigden Farm". On the Census of 1851 the property was occupied by James Arnold (farmer of 120 acres), Isaac Titchenor, Sarah his wife, with their niece, nephew and two servants. The building is shown on the 1851-3 Tithe Map, shown as "Homestead" in the tithe apportionment. On the 1881 Census it was occupied by "James Harding, Farm Bailiff" with wife, son, one domestic servant and one farm servant (carter). On an 1892 map Rigden Farm is shown as the home farm to a large late C19 house called Mynthurst. Rigdens Farmhouse features in the 1931 Sales Particulars for Mynthurst. By the Second World War the property had ceased to be a farmhouse.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: Rigden Farm is a former farmhouse of C16, C17 and C18 date that has special architectural interest for its surviving fabric of these periods. A timberframed bay survives with parts of the wall frame visible internally, diamond sockets for an original mullioned window, ceiling beams and the roof structure with smoke-blackened principal rafter that indicates either a bacon loft or the remains of a smoke bay. In the early C17 a further room was added to the north west and a fine timberframed staircase tower to the south with winder stairs, decorative newelpost and old leaded light mullioned window. The C18 brick west wing, which may have replaced an earlier timberframed structure, has an open fireplace, a bolection-moulded fireplace, original partition walls, ceiling beams, roof structure and a series of two-panelled doors. Listed grade II for this surviving and significant proportion of its original fabric, its changing plan form over its long history remaining readable, and for the number of original features.

SOURCES:
Domestic Buildings Reseach Group report No.4723. February 2006.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671114

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

• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)