Description

SAMPFORD PEVERELL
ST 01 NW
4/138 Middle Pitt Farmhouse
-
- II

Farmhouse, now used as 2 cottages. Early C17, probably earlier core, late C17 -
early C18 modernisation, C19 extension, modernised in mid C20 when divided into
cottages. Plastered cob on stone rubble footings; stone rubble stacks topped with
C19 and C20 brick; slate roof, formerly thatch.
Plan and development: originally a 5-room-and-through-passage plan house. Facing
south and built down a gentle hillslope. Uphill, at the right (east) end, is the
inner room parlour which has a projecting gable-end stack. The hall has an axial
stack backing onto the former passage. Below (left of) the passage the first
service end room room has a projecting rear lateral stack. This or the hall served
as the kitchen in the C17. Below that service room is a small unheated room,
probably a dairy originally, end, at the left end another unheated room. This was
probably some kind of agricultural store. There is an unheated 1-room plan
extension at right angles to the main block to rear of the inner room parlour. It
is a C19 extension.
The farmhouse appears to be a single phase building although its through-passage
layout suggests earlier origins. The house, including the hall, was probably
floored from the beginning. The left end room, the former store, is also part of
the original house. There is an unusually high ceiling here and it may well have
been open to the roof originally. There was, until the mid C20, a newel stair
turret projecting to rear of the hall close by the passage. Now the farmhouse is 2
cottages. The right (east) one occupies the hall, parlour and rear extension. The
left (west) one occupies the former passage (now blocked to rear), and service end
rooms. Both cottages are 2 storeys.
Exterior: overall irregular 5-window front of mid C20 casements with no glazing
bars. The passage front doorway is roughly central and now contains a C20 door and
contemporary porch. The right cottage has a C20 doorway inserted into the hall and
the left cottage has a doorway into the end room; both contain C20 doors. The roof
is gable-ended stopping down from the right cottage to the left. The walls show how
they were raised to accommodate the lower pitch of the replacement slate roof.
Interior: part of an oak plank-and-muntin screen is exposed in the left cottage
between the dairy and heated service end room. Both these rooms have soffit-
chamfered and step-stopped beams; the service end room has a crossbeam, and the
dairy an axial beam with one end cut through for the present stair. The service end
fireplace is blocked but part of its soffit-chamfered oak lintel is exposed. There
are in the chambers above in this left cottage a couple of late C17 - early C18
fielded 2-panel doors. Other early features are probably hidden behind later
plaster. The right (east) cottage occupies the original principal rooms and the C17
carpentry detail is of higher quality. The partition between hall and parlour is a
tall oak plank-and-muntin screen. The muntins of this screen and the crossbeams in
hall and parlour have the same finish; they are chamfered with bar run-out stops.
The large hall fireplace is stone rubble with a soffit-chamfered and step-stopped
oak lintel (there is a miniature version in the chamber above). The parlour
fireplace oak lintel has a chamfered low Tudor arch. The chamber above includes a
blocked 2-light oak-framed window with chamfered mullion. The roof structure of the
main block is original from end to end and is carried on a series of side-pegged
jointed cruck trusses. All are clean.

Listing NGR: ST0335416095

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26400291

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)