Segpool House

Segpool House was built on the site of the first Primitive Methodist Chapel (HER 11569) between 1859 and 1897. The house is a single storied gable building of local sandstone uncoursed rubble and a slate roof. The walls are around 0.5m thick. The roof trusses rise directly from the wall heads and the principal rafters are joined by a high collar nailed to the rafters and crossed in a halved joint at the apex. A single side purlin is trenched into the back of each principal rafter, and a light ridge piece is carried on a slotted board nailed to the apex of the truss. At the east gable, the slates run over the edge of the wall and are finished with a small mortar fillet. At the west end, the verge stands above the level of the slates and is finished with a sandstone water table. An L-shaped extension has been added in the 20th century on the north side. This includes the kitchen, which is a low and gables with an open rafter roof, an a lean-to lobby or porch. At the east end of the house there is a brick shed with a lean-to roof of corrugated iron. The present bathroom window in the south face has been altered in recent times. The whole of the west end of the house is also a 20th century addition, which is apparent from the roof covering, the windows and the side-alternate quoins. The extensions enlarged the floor area of the original house by almost 50%. In the south wall a large French window has been added with a steel lintel above. In the west wall there is a bow window of uPVC. The sandstone sill below this, is from a three-light mullioned window, possibly reused from elsewhere. In the peak of the gable there is a narrow vent from the attic. Inside only the bedroom and study have original lintels and projecting sills. In the attic there is an old window in the east gable and a single iron-framed skylight in the south slope of the roof. Below the square gable window is a trapdoor for a steep staircase or ladder from the kitchen. The principal rafters are covered with newspaper which dates to 1892. To the east of the house there is a small stable or loose-box built in a similar manner to the house. It has no windows. In the north wall there are a pair of vents made from ceramic drain pipes and there is a tall narrow vent in the south gable. At the north end there is an open-fronted brick shed, a former box privy and store. This simple house is of a type often used as accommodation for agricultural workers. The central door led directly into the kitchen, which lay at the west end. There was a fireplace in each gable wall. The part of the attic above the kitchen was used as a bedroom, reached by a steep stair or ladder by the chimney breast. The other downstairs room had a smaller chimney and was probably a bedroom or parlour {Archaeological Services Durham University}.