Building record LUD 087 - Mardle House (Formerly Manor Farm)

The southern façade of Mardle House is a fine example of late-Georgian symmetry, with a particularly fine array of sash windows, but close inspection its brickwork reveals a much earlier origin. The individual bricks are laid in alternate courses of headers and stretchers (English Bond), as found in 16th and 17th century buildings, and subtle anomalies reveal the positions of blocked contemporary windows alongside the later sashes. The largely Georgian interior of the house also represents an attempt to disguise earlier fabric, but was so thorough that precise analysis of its original appearance and layout presents a considerable challenge. The elegant staircase and façade can probably be dated accurately to 1812 by a fragment of newspaper found beneath the stair, and reflects the agricultural wealth of the Napoleonic wars which funded similar farmhouse refurbishments across the region. The three exposed ceiling joists which span the front and rear walls, however, bear roll-mouldings of the late-16th century and appear to be in situ, while the roof structure, the first-floor ceiling joists and the exceptional parlour fireplace belong to the early-17th century. Mardle House therefore appears to be an Elizabethan building which had been extensively remodelled in the 17th century even before its Regency facelift, and was provided with additional rear extensions in the late-17th or 18th century and the 19th century (S1).