Monument record 1252/1 - Pavement Lane Farmhouse, Mobberley

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 1329646 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Pavement Lane Farmhouse: Grade II Listed.
Farmhouse. Late C17 and C18. Red random bond brick with slate roof. 2 storeys. North-west (entrance) front. Symmetrical, 5 bays. Central doorway with moulded frame C19 gabled porch. 2 ground floor windows to left have splayed heads and sash windows of 3 x 4 panes. 2 to right are C19 replacements, also of 3 x 4 panes but larger with central keystones and splayed heads of rubbed brick. First floor windows of 3 x 4 panes similar to left hand ground floor windows with lintels of headers. One ridge chimney slightly to right of centre; right hand gable chimney C19 gabled wing to rear and outshut. Left hand gable end has a 2-light chamfered mullion window. Band of 3 bricks height to North-west and North-east sides. Interior: Late C17 beams and bressumer ingle-nook to parlour. Close string staircase with moulded hand rail and flat balusters with moulded sides. Original plank doors with hinges.

<2> Peter de Figueiredo (Independent Consultant), 2012, Pavement Lane Farm, Pavement Lane, Mobberley, Cheshire: Heritage Statement, R4574 (Client Report). SCH9173.

Heritage statement produced in 2012 for Pavement Lane Farmhouse prior to a comprehensive scheme of restoration and conversion of the complex of farm buildings, including the farmhouse. The Grade II Listed farmhouse dates from the 17th century and was enlarged and altered in the 18th and 19th centuries. It occupies a rural site on the edge of Mobberley village.

The architectural evidence suggests that the earliest remaining part was built in the early 17th century, this being the central block containing two ground floor rooms with inglenook fireplaces and heavy oak beams. These two rooms appear to have been separated by a cross passage, and would possibly have been supplemented by a service room projecting out from one of the long sides. It is probable that the original entrance was from the south-east side, and the service room projected out to the north-west. The plan form, however, is unconventional for the area, and it is possible that it had further cells.

The house is likely to have been timber-framed when first constructed, and details such as the inglenook fireplaces are characteristic of the early 17th century. Little trace, however, remains of any original wall framing, and the external brickwork enclosing the two central rooms dates from the 19th and 20th centuries, and presumably replaced the earlier timber structure. The roofs of the original core also appear to have been rebuilt.

The main frontage block was added in the early 18th century, and probably enclosed the service area of the earlier house. It faces north-west and has five symmetrically placed sash windows, each with brick heads and sash windows; all the sashes were replaced in the 20th century. At the centre is a doorway with a moulded stone doorcase and original panelled door; the porch is a late 19th century addition. The gable elevation of the frontage block, facing onto the farm outbuildings, contains traces of mullioned windows with projecting brick label moulds. It is likely that they are part of the original construction, with the more up-to-date and expensive style of sash window being reserved for the show front.

The rear single storey additions date from the late 19th century and were added in two separate phases, probably to serve as dairies or other service rooms connected with the farming activities.

The interior of the house has been substantially changed at various periods. The two central rooms are of greatest interest and preserve inglenook fireplaces with bressumer beams, together with oak floor beams supporting the first floor. The hall with cross passage is paved in red and blue 19th century quarry tiles, and the parlour was paved in stone flags which are no longer in situ.

In summary, the building is an important example of a 17th and early 18th century dairy farmhouse, which retains many of its original external and internal features.