Building record 895/1 - Commonside Farmhouse

Commonside Farmhouse is a Grade II listed building. It was probably built in the mid 17th century and extended to the rear in the 20th century. Originally a timber framed building, the exterior walls are now coursed red sandstone rubble and bricks with a thatched roof. Inside there is a cruck frame between rooms. A cruck is a beam used in timber framing. Two curved timbers that are cut from the same tree are used to support a roof from floor to apex. Wood was in plentiful supply as a building material in Britain until the 17th century. It was therefore the most practical material for house building. Timber framed buildings consist of a wooden framework (usually oak) that was infilled to create solid walls. Infill material used included wattle and daub, lath and plaster, brick and weather board. Brick nogging, (brick infill) was often used in the 17th and 18th centuries to replace earlier wattle and daub or lath and plaster infill as it was longer lasting.