West Plenmeller Bastle

Description

Bastle house of the late C16 or early C17, remodelled with outshut and barn added in mid C18. House refronted c.1800, outshut heightened and west wing built later Cl9. C16/17 fabric massive rubble with large roughly-shaped quoins, later work smaller rubble with cut dressings except for Cl9 section of squared stone with tooled and margined dressings. Blue slate roofs except for purple slate on west wing. L-plan. 2 storeys, 2 and 2 bays. Older right part has late C19 sashes in earlier almost square stone surrounds; a 5th similar window centrally placed at ground floor level, and to its right the right jamb of former off-centre C18 door with alternating raised blocks. C19 left section: 6-panel door with overlight; late C19 sash over; left gabled bay with paired sashes and single sash above. Left return shows barn to left with central door in raised alternating block surround, flanked by slit vents. Right return shows blocked bastle door with massive dressings and barn set back to right with central boarded door in surround of alternating raised blocks. Rear outshut has 2-light flat-faced mullioned window with iron bars. Interior; west end of bastle remains as 1.2m thick internal wall. Interior of barn shows 3 principal-rafter roof trusses with collars; 3 tiers of blocked slit vents in north gable. (Listed Building Report)

Solitary form bastle, measures 10.4 x 6.2m, with side walls 0.9m thick and end wall 1.2m thick. Byre entrance in gable end. Present state - house (Ryder 1990).
The original bastle measured c.10.4m by 6.1m externally, with walls of heavy rubble with large roughly shaped quoins; the north wall is 0.9m thick and the west end 1.2m. The bastle fabric is best seen in the east end, which has its central square headed byre doorway (blocked) with large roughly shaped jamb stones and a massive lintel. In the 18th century a rear outshut was added to the bastle (with a flat faced mullioned window with old iron bars survives), and a barn built to the north west, on the west side of the farmyard at the rear of the house. The front wall of the house was rebuilt around 1800 as a two storey two bay frontage, having an off centre front door in an alternating block surround, later blocked and partly destroyed by a fifth window. Late in the 19th century the rear outshut was heightened and a new extension, with a cross gabled end bay, built occupying the re-entrance angle between house and barn. The 18th century barn links to the western of three ranges of later 19th century planned farmbuildings at the rear of the house. An older chamfered doorway, perhaps from the farmhouse, has been reset in the south end of the east range (Ryder 1994-5). (Northumberland HER)