Building record 308/2 - The Bath House

Farmhouse, late sixteenth century. Plastered and brick nogged timber frame with tile roof, 2 storeys, 3 window bays with 3-bay return (north). High sandstone plinth. Close studding, in heavy timbers, with rails only to windows. Angle braces, west gable jettied at first floor and apex. Large sandstone stack to rear (south) with diagonally set flues. Flush casements with glazing bars. French window on the garden front (east). The west gable has timber in the chevron style with struts from the king post and three struts from the tie beam each side; the east gable has a similar arrangement painted on the plastered apex. There is a gable end stack to the north wing. The boarded entrance door is in the north-west angle of the building. Interior: Heavy ovolo moulded beams and square section joists in all ground floor rooms. Old boarded door. Georgian cast iron mantel. At first floor two oak Elizabethan 6-panel doors on "H" hinges with remains of older wrought hinges, latches and oak cased lock. Wide oak flooring. Wide oak staircase with turned newel and one 75mm turned baluster per tread, fixed between timber framed internal walls. Truss with curved tie beam and two posts, wide ceiling joists. House said to have been used to accommodate visitors to a salt spring in an adjoining field (see CHER 372) (1).

Outbuildings/Farm buildings depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition 25" to 1 mile maps appear to survive. The quasi-parkland depicted on the same maps to the immediate west and north west of the house does not (2).

Large farm building to the north west of the house is depicted on the tithe map for Spurstow township 1839. The owner is recorded as Sir Thomas Mostyn Champneys, the occupier is Samuel Clutton (3).

'…crutches and other memoranda of its cures were deposited in the farmhouse belonging to the estate…' (4).

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 56816 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.

<3> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 365/1 & EDT365/2 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

<4> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, vol. 2 p.295 (Book). SCH1389.

<5> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, vol 3 p.315-6 (Book). SCH3228.