Curtain House, Catton

Description

Bastle house, late C16 or early C17, altered C19. Barn probably C19. Rubble, massive in parts, with heavy roughly-shaped quoins, later stone dressings; stone slate roofs to house and barn, stone stack on right gable of house. House 2 storeys, 2 bays. Boarded door with surround of large blocks with shield-shaped block (probably former datestone) over. To right a late C19 sash window with alternating jambs; similar window above has chamfered sill re-used from earlier opening; small window to left. Barn to left has cart entrance with alternating jambs and timber lintel, slit vents. C18 or early C19 outshut to rear. Interior shows mainly C19 features; small barred window now opening into outshut and 2 principal-rafter roof trusses with collars may be late C17 or C18.
Later cottage to right not of special interest. (Listed Building Report)

The southern part of Curtain House is a remodelled bastle, measuring c.9.4m by 6.35m externally. The walls are of a mixture of fabric types; the south end is of quite thinly coursed squared rubble, but the upper portion of the west wall (visible above the roof of a later outshut) incorporates some large blocks; the angle quoins are large and roughly shaped. The side walls are c.0.95m thick. The present openings are largely of late 18th or early 19th century date; there is an oval panel above the doorway (at the south end of the east wall) which may once have carried a date, but is now illegible. A patch of more thinly coursed rubble between the ground and first floor windows to the north of the door may mark the position of the upper doorway of the bastle; to the south of this another small square patch may indicate an original window position.
The exterior of the south end of the bastle is exposed within the adjacent barn, and shows no features; above the barn roof, however, a steeper roof pitch line is visible, marked by stone slates incorporated in the present wall. This roof line (which corresponds with a break in the quoining of the bastle) seems to be that of the bastle, rather than that of the original building.
The interior of the house shows no original features. In the external face of the north wall, at its east end, an irregular recess marks the position of an earlier window which must at least pre-date the adjacent building. At first floor level above this point a new door was made during alterations c.1988, and a small window with iron bars uncovered (and removed). The roof has trusses with collars, of late 18th or early 19th century character.
In the 18th century the bastle would appear to have been converted into a conventional ground floor house, with a single storey outshut being added on the west. An adjacent range of buildings on the north (set on a slightly different orientation) is also of 18th or early 19th century date (Ryder 1994-5). (Northumberland HER)