Building record WKS 037 - Willow House

Willow House lies between the River Dove and the linear hamlet known as The Street. The property can be documented from the late-17th century and formed a smallholding with some 2.5 acres of meadow on the other side of the river. It is likely to have operated as a poultry farm in the mid-19th century and a barn with an adjoining complex of farm buildings was demolished in the 20th century. Several unusually small 19th century sheds survive to the rear, including an example of clay-lump that may have formed a chicken shed and one of the smallest timber-frames structures in the region at just 6.5 ft by 5.5 The timber-framed and thatched house adjoins the road at right angles and was formerly jettied. It dates from circa 1600 and appears to have reflected the standard three-cell layout of the period, but various anomalies suggest a less standard arrangment. A map of 1823 shows a missing wing on the street to the east , and this may have mirrored the narrow jettied projection at grade II*-listed Street Farm on the opposite side of the road. The frame is now largely concealed internally by the plaster of a major refurbishment in the 1820s or 30s that inlcuded the demolition of this roadside wing. The existing leaded-light casement windows were inserted at the same time along with numerous fixture and fittings including fire surrounds and cupboards that form an almost intact late-Goergian interior. The most historically important feature of the property is the bakehouse added to the rear gable of the main house in the mid-19th century. This represents one of the best preserved bakehouses in the region with a remarkable number of original features including a pump, twin coppers, an oven, range, folding table, undulating brick floor and even a large washing bat. A complete suite of rare and probably original grain bins lies on the first floor and the rear gable retains its medieval-style sliding and hinged shutters. Even much of the paintwork appears unaltered. Bakehouses of this kind were once common in local farmhouses but are now notoriously rare in anything resembling their original form (S1).