A mid-C17th, 2 1/2 storey & cellar, stone-built house with lateral chimney and stair projections including a ruined 2-storey cross-wing with corbelled fireplace . Brook House is thought to have been an Inn at one time serving the important roadway.
It is built of coursed local rubble stone with dressed sandstone details to windows and doorway, both with stone relieving arches above. The main windows are sunk-chamfered, while the single light windows are plain chamfered. A former original entrance in the N-E elevation has chamfered jambs, some in red sandstone. There are 3-light windows to ground and first-floors at the N-W gable-end with a single-light to the attic. The stair projection was originally lit by 2-light mullion windows to each mezzanine level and a single light to the cellar. At present the roof is clad in modern concrete tiles, but has had pantiles and may have been stone tiled originally. There are remains of later outbuildings adjoining the S-W side.
The original entrance was into a lobby opposite the staircase, probably once separately partitioned under the first ceiling-beam from the kitchen/hall room to the right with its transverse medium chamfered ceiling-beams and chamfered dressed-stone fireplace. Its plaster ceiling has reed-moulded edging and the room was once lit by stone-mullion windows on three sides, but now only by the three light N-W window. The present C19th cross-partition cuts a blocked 2-light window in the S-W and the present later doorway splays indicate a former 2-light window.
A dog-leg stair which rises to the attic has a continuous round newel post and is framed by a lathe and plaster partition with blocked two-light windows at both mezzanine levels.
The first-floor landing is entered by a framed doorway with chamfered oval-arched lintel and a similar one leads on to the attic. A further similar doorway (now blocked) gave access to the cross-wing in the present S-E gable-end wall.
The first-floor was originally divided as the ground-floor and has the same ceiling-beams with plaster moulding . It has a fireplace with chamfered stone bressummer and broach-stop to jambs, which has been later reduced in size. The room was originally lit by three windows, a single light to the left of the fireplace which is blocked, while opposite the fireplace a modern casement retains original splays for a two-light and there is an existing three-light at the N-W.
The space is presently sub-divided into three room by an C18th moulded post and panel partitioned room with central doorway at the N-W and by a later rebated moulded timber posts at the S-E with plain doorway to landing area.
The attic room is divided from the stairs by an 'in-&-out' moulded partition with doorway under one of two roof trusses which mortice to the ceiling-beams. The trusses have two side-purlins and a diagonally set ridge with a mortice for collar only to the central truss, neither with collar in-situ. The room is lit by a single light in the N-W gable and has a lathe and plaster ceiling attached to the rafters.
The cellar is reached by a wide framed doorway with oval lintel and 3-board door to a stone staircase formerly lit by a blocked single light window under the timber stairs. The doorway is below the present floor indicating the floor levels have been raised to increase height in the cellar. The ceiling-beams have been halved and reset with wide floorboards and no joists. There were three single light windows one at the N-E retaining iron bars and that to the S-W having a rebate on one side for a shutter, the other blocked on the N-E.
Note that detached kitchen/bakehouse exists in garden to east (see separate note).
