The pretty black and white farmhouse today called Tanhouse Farm just behind Tanhouse barn and off the main road to Rusper, is of particular local interest because it is a rare example of a medieval hall house in Surrey. What’s more it faces south, overlooking a stream and straight into the prevailing south westerly winds which often bring rain.

The original part of the house was a ‘three bay’ structure built around 1520. A larger square ‘parlour’ with attic above was added around 1600, along with chimney and two inglenook hearths for the old and new part of the house, and a further small wing added after this but before 1650. This last part was built using recycled timber beams .The story goes that grain was taken from the farm down to Shoreham, near Brighton, and exchanged for ships timbers, which were used to construct the frame for this part of the building.

Tanhouse Barn was originally a wooden-framed threshing barn built infront of the farmhouse and similar to it in construction. It probably had four bays to begin with, though one appears to have been dismantled at some point to allow for the present entrance drive to the farm. The barn was a substantial size of 10.5 x 6.5m.

In 1997 – 1998 Julie Day and her family converted the barn into their present home. They were careful to follow traditional building methods, using top quality green English oak including some trees that fell on the farm in the storm of October 1987.  The original impressive frame is maintained.

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