Building record 1163/2 - Glebe Farmhouse

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 56536 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Farmhouse, formerly rectory, sixteenth century with eighteenth and nineteenth century additions and alterations. Formerly timber framed, the external walling having been now mostly replaced with brick walling of English garden wall bond and Flemish bond, with a slate roof. Two storeys with attic. The entrance front is of two builds; the portion to left is a slightly projecting gabled wing with English garden wall bond brick replacing timber framing. This has a projecting lean-to porch at ground floor level with a plank door to the centre with strap hinges and nail-head decoration. To the right of this is a twentieth century cross-window and to the first floor is an eighteenth century sash window of four by six panes with exposed sash boxes. The gable has a queen-post truss with rendered infill. To left of this is a two-storey lean-to which has a three-light nineteenth century ground floor window and a two-light first floor twentieth century window. To left again is a nineteenth century lean-to with a two-light twentieth century window. To the right is an eighteenth century wing of two bays with stone quoins to the right hand corner and a band between the floors of two bricks depth. Two first floor windows of four by six panes with exposed sash boxes and one similar ground floor window at right. The left hand ground floor window is of two casement lights. To the attic are two two-light gabled dormer windows. Chimney stacks at right hand gable end and to the ridge of the left hand gabled wing. Rear: Flemish bond brick at left and English garden wall bond brick at right. To the right are two gable-ends indicating the medieval house but this front has been given some uniformity in the eighteenth century by the use of ashlar quoins to both corners and the placing of a continuous band of two bricks depth between the ground and first floors. To the ground floor are two three-light and one two-light cambered headed windows of nineteenth century date and to the first floor at left are two sash windows of four by six panes and to right are two cross windows. Interior: To the ground floor one room has a panelled ceiling with heavily moulded timbers dividing the ceiling into a series of rectangular compartments with plaster infill. There is also in this room a large four-centred archway with blind tracery to the spandrels of the camber-beam which rests on semi-octagonal brackets. A further ground floor room has dado panelling with chair rail to the lower walls and with a series of raised plaster panels to the upper walls divided by wooden posts which rise to a wooden cornice. The staircase is of five flights and eighteenth century date with square newel-posts having moulded caps, a moulded handrail and turned balusters. To the first floor room is further small-framed walling with cambered ceiling beams one of which bears traces of naive painting. There are also two four-centred doorways here which may have led to garderobes. Chamfered purlins and wind-bracing to the roof.

<2> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R, 24/04/2019 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

The adjacent earthworks which are believed to be the remains of a formal garden dating from the sixteenth century, suggest that Glebe Farm may be the site of the manor house for Astbury manor. The extant timber framed building is of a similar date to the gardens and, if not a successor to the original manor house, is a building of some status.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Land Line and Master Map Vector Maps, 24/04/2019 (Maps and Plans). SCH4491.

<4> Cartildge, Rev. J.E. Gordon, 1915, Newbold Astbury and Its History, p.19-21 (Book). SCH2249.

The author considers the Old Rectory (also known as Glebe Farmhouse) to be the former manor house.