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Description: Higher Ashes Farmhouse

Address: Higher Ashes Farm Ashes Lane Todmorden Calderdale OL14 8RF

Grade: IISTAR

Group detail: Ashes Lane

Full description:
House, now in 3 occupations. Dated 1691. Large dressed stone, stone slate roof. Hall and cross-wings which project to the south only, with projecting northern wing set between outer wings. 3-room front. Plinth, continuous string course over ground floor windows. Wings have coped gables with kneelers and ball finials. All are double chamfered mullioned windows. West wing has 6-light window with king mullion. To right is original doorway forming inner porch with stone seats. Basket arch to outer door, deeply cyma-moulded surround. Spiral stops. Over is tablet with 'W S S, 1691' (for William and Sarah Sutcliffe) carved in relief. 1st floor has 3 cross-windows with hoodmould with decorative label stops. Hall range has 2-light firewindow, with 4-light window over. 6-light housebody window with king mullion (4 + 2) with mid C20 doorway inserted in keeping with chamfered surround. Over is 4-light window. West return wall of east wing has cross-window. South front has 2 cross windows with same over with hoodmoulds with decorative label stops. Right hand return wall has extruded stack with offsets 4-light window (lacking 2 mullions). Rear of east wing has 3-light window with hoodmould with heart shaped label stops. Left hand return wall of west wing, has doorway inscribed with date 1857. It would appear that the north gable of the west wing was completely rebuilt at this date. The through passage doorway was replaced by hollow chamfered windows. There is a stone, possibly the old door lintel, which is inscribed 'W S, 1673' set within a tressure, reset. Rear kitchen wing has 4-light double chamfered mullioned window with a 6-light chamfered mullioned window to 1st floor in its west face. Large extruded stack to gable which is coped. East face has 6-light double chamfered mullioned window with hoodmould with straight return. Over is 5-light window. The interior of this wing has fireplace with depressed Tudor arched lintel with 'W S S 1682' boldly carved in relief. The east wing has bolection moulded fireplace and reeded spine beams. Housebody has reeded spine beams with scarf joints, evidence of former bressumer now removed and replaced by C18 fireplace. The finest example of a Yeoman clothier's house in the Todmorden region. It has fine quality masonry with a highly developed plan form of 2 parlour wings both exhibiting classical features with cross-windows, and a rear kitchen wing attached to the central hall. It is unusual in having a through-passage in a cross-wing.