Heritage England, official list entry

Detail    House and workshop, mid 18thc perhaps reusing earlier features. Flemish bond brown brick; grey slate roof. Three storeys; three windows; asymmetrical. Rusticated quoins. six-panel oak door left of centre under shallow-gabled porch roof on scroll-shaped brackets.

Flush twelve-pane sashes to lower two storeys under wedge lintels with false voussoir blocks and double keystones; flush six-pane sashes to third storey; stone cills.

Two-storey wing left with cartway under storeroom with wood-latticed opening and winch-arm to rear; workshop range returns left of rear yard.

Interior: Rock-cut cellar. Altered inglenook and two nick-stopped oak beams with lozenges and roses carved on soffits and coved panels between, in left room; oak joists and some old plasterwork in other rooms; oak boarded inner back door and door to rear room. Oak stair of one flight per storey has winders at foot and head; oak rear stair with winders turns through 180° between each floor. Left room of second storey has chamfered oak beams and inglenook with bevelled bressummer; broad oak board floors in left and central room; pine floor in right room, oak doors of two and three panels; stop-chamfered oak beams. Third storey has oak purlins, the front one squint bridled and pine rafters.

Source: Historic England, National Heritage List for England

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Farndon: The History of a Cheshire Village, Frank A. Latham (Ed.) Page 72/73; (1981) Laurel Bank was also in the ownership of the Barnston Estate until 1976. From 1891-1907 it was tenanted by Frank Bellis, who was a butcher and used one of the barns as a slaughter house. A barge used to come up the river to collect the hides and sheepskins. From 1907-1942 the Haswell family lived there and another Frank Bellis from 1942-66. Dennis King was tenant from 1966-74, and in 1976 it was bought by Tony and Liz Caplin. They converted the barns adjacent to the house into workshops for a flourishing cabinet making business where they employ five local lads. These are all trained on the premises to make aged copies of old oak furniture, which is mainly exported to Europe. A small number of items are sold to furniture retailers in this country, or to individuals who wish to have pieces of furniture hand-made to their own specifications. The firm also has a show stand at the Antique Hypermarket, Bridge Street, Chester. Page 68; (1981) There were private pumps at Top Farm, the Rectory, Laurel Bank and at one or two other places. Frank A. Latham (Ed.), Farndon: The History of a Cheshire Village, (1981)