Coppice Howe Farmhouse, Skelsmergh and Scalthwaiterigg, Cumbria

Summary

Farmhouse, C17 or earlier, extended in the early C18.

Description

Farmhouse, C17 or earlier, extended in the early C18.

MATERIALS: rubble slatestone, rendered, with slate roofs.

PLAN: L-shaped of two main phases comprising a rectangular north range with an L-shaped west range attached to its south end.

EXTERIOR:

North range: a single-storey with an inserted attic floor and roof lights, beneath a pitched roof of graduated slate; its thickened lower walls suggest the presence of a plinth. All window frames are modern casement or fixed panes. The west elevation has a single window and an entrance with a modern door; a slight widening of the wall indicates the position of the internal stair. The north gable is blind and has a corbelled-out chimney to the apex with a conical stone stack and at ground level a projecting, semi-circular bread oven. The east elevation has four crude window openings with stone cills; the most northerly is a fire window (fitted with leaded glass) lighting the inglenook.

West range: two storeys beneath pitched roofs of graduated slate; all window frames are modern casement or fixed panes, and there are gable end stacks. The south elevation has a central entrance with a modern door, flanked to the left by a pair of regularly spaced window openings to both floors. To the right of the entrance is a large ground floor window with a stone cill, and there is a similar large offset opening to the first floor. The right gabled return is mostly blind with only a small window to both floors at the right side. The left gabled return is blind and has an attached gabled stair hall with a prominent chamfered corner. The rear elevation has scattered fenestration including a stair window.

INTERIOR:

North range: this retains two full cruck-frames in their original positions, with blades springing from very low in the walls or from the ground. The lower part of the southerly cruck frame is partially embedded within an early-C21 partition wall. Each frame has a tie-beam, collar and a saddle or yoke all jointed into the south face. The southern frame has the head of the blades clasping the ridge piece, and the northern frame has the ridge piece resting on the yoke. The stone side walls and roof were raised in height in antiquity by setting the eastern purlins on large chocks supported by the crucks. The western side of the roof was raised by fixing a stout rafter to each frame to carry a repositioned purlin. In both frames, old notches for purlins suggest that the original roof was steeply pitched and probably thatched. Both crucks on the west side had windbraces rising to trenched purlins. The tie beams may have been added to support the upper floor joists when the walls and roof were raised. Between the crucks, there is a substantial chamfered ceiling beam with stops and several opposing pairs of metal fixings thought likely to be for hanging cheeses or other foods. An inglenook to the north wall, modified by the insertion in 1986 of a stone fireplace, retains an arched brick-built bread oven and a spice cupboard with a panelled door and butterfly hinges in its rear wall; the inglenook is lit by a fire window in the east wall. The tie beam of the north cruck truss serves as a fire beam to the inglenook and supports the remains of a modified, stone chimney hood visible to the first floor. Set parallel to the wall in the south-west corner is a timber stair supported on a single post and enclosed by a stud and plaster partition with a crude surround. Doors are modern plank and batten.

West range: the ground floor comprises a large L-shaped space; a stub of a plank and muntin partition that formerly divided it is attached to the south end of a ceiling beam. A doorway in the north-east corner connects it to the north range and is fitted with a plank and batten door of wide boards. There are chamfered ceiling beams with stops, and timber lintels to all window and cupboard openings. An inglenook to the east gable retains two plain spice cupboards with butterfly and strap hinges, and there is a window in the east wall with leaded glass, and an open cupboard in the north wall. The inglenook retains its chamfered fire beam with stops. A C19 cast-iron range is set against the west gable. Within the stair hall to the north wall, a small timber-mullioned window is an original window through the former external west wall of the north range; there is a timber-mullioned window in the north wall. The under stairs has a boarded door with a recessed central panel and has a stone slab floor and is lit by a small window. The stair hall houses an early-C18 timber dog-leg staircase with a decorative timber plaque recording the initials ‘TAA 1702’. There is a stud and plaster partition between the two flights, and the stair has square newel posts with flat finials, a flat-topped handrail with moulded sides, and turned balusters. The stud and plaster west wall of the stair hall rises to the first floor, where it forms part of a north-south stud and plaster partition incorporating a rustic timber door frame. Two bedrooms are separated from the first-floor corridor by a second stud and plaster partition incorporating similar rustic door surrounds with two-light overlights; doors are plank and batten and two-panel of short boards. There is also a similar partition between the two bedrooms. At the end of the corridor, a third bedroom is entered through a similar rustic door surround. To the left, an opening into the north range also has a crude surround fitted with a wide-boarded door that retains a nailed wooden pull handle.

History

Coppice Howe (formerly known as Coppack Howe) displays two clear phases: the earliest is a single-storey cruck-framed range of C17 or earlier date, which was subsequently raised in height. The second phase is the addition of a new west wing in the early C18. Coppice Howe was published in a 2000 article, and since that time alterations have included the remodelling of the south end of the north range and the reconfiguration of the west end of the early-C18 extension including the removal of a ground floor plank and muntin partition.

The deeds for the house date back to 1580 when it was sold by James Leyburne to Allan Gilpin of Patton for £26. In his will, in April 1581 Allan Gilpin left various lands to his son Alan, and in 1602 Alan sold half of the farm for £18 6s 8d to Thomas Atkinson Yeoman of Skelsmergh. The other half of the farm was sold separately, but in about 1614 it too was acquired by Thomas Atkinson and the farm ownership was united. Inside the house, a timber plaque attached to the staircase is inscribed ‘TAA 1702’ for Thomas and Agnes Atkinson; while this appears to securely date the new staircase, it probably also records the date of the new west wing. It is considered that the adjacent bank barn was also constructed around this time. On Thomas Atkinson’s death, his widow continued to live at the farm with her second husband who died in 1725, and whose will provides some details about the house layout. There was a hall, kitchen, low chamber, buttery and scullery on the ground floor, and on the first floor a buttery chamber, a hall chamber, a parlour chamber, lofts and garrets, and there was also an ‘out kitchen.’ The house remained in the ownership of the Atkinson family until 16 September 1766 when it was sold for £1,050 to John Bateman.

The farmhouse and adjacent contemporary bank barn are both depicted on the first edition 1:10,560 Ordnance Survey surveyed in 1858, and largely retain the same footprints on the 1898 revision and on subsequent maps down to the present day.

Reasons for Listing

Coppice Howe, of C17 or earlier date, extended in the early C18, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* a good example of a Cumbrian farmhouse constructed in the local vernacular style and materials, which contributes to our understanding of regional diversity in domestic dwellings;
* a C17 or earlier dwelling, extended in the early C18, and whose two main phases are preserved and highly legible within the historic fabric;
* the internal plan-form of both main phases is largely preserved, and the building's evolution from a simple single-storey range to an early-C18 yeoman farmer's dwelling is clearly expressed;
* it retains a range of historic internal fixtures and fittings including plank and panel doors, wide floorboards, plaster and panel partitions, spice cupboards, bread oven, and chamfered beams;
* the retention of two cruck frames of slightly different form, which display early carpentry technique and evolution, is a significant survival.

Group value:

* taken together with the adjacent C18 bank barn, it illustrates the type of simple, small Cumbrian farmstead that characterise the area.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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.