Description

MORETONHAMPSTEAD DOCCOMBE
SX 78 NE
2/132 Knaphole
-
GV II

House, formerly farmhouse. Circa early C16, extended in C17. Rendered granite
rubble walls. 3 chimney stacks constructed of granite blocks, one axial, the other
2 gable stacks. All have dripmoulds and granite capping stones; the left-hand
gable stack projects with offsets and the axial stack has had a brick shaft built
in front of it. The left-hand side of the house has an asbestos slate roof and the
right-hand side has a corrugated iron roof; gable ended.
Plan of 4 rooms and through/cross passage, probably extended in C17 although it is
unclear at which end (land rises at rear of house and passage has no back door).
Screens passage with heated room to upper (left) side and newel staircase beside
gable fireplace; fairly small room at lower (right) side of passage with fireplace
at the inner (right) end and newel staircase at the rear of the stack; further
similar sized unheated room, beyond is lower room (to right), probably kitchen,
with gable end fireplace and newel staircase adjoining it. Converted into 2
cottages probably in C19 then back into 1 house in C20.
2 storeys. Asymmetrical 5-window front with 2 doorways to left and right of
centre. 1st floor window above and to the left of left-hand door are both 2-light
probably early C20 wooden casements with glazing bars. The remainder of the
windows are 2-light early-mid C20 metal frame casements with leaded panes except
for the 2 ground floor windows either side of the left-hand doorway which are 3-
light. Left-hand doorway leads to passage and has wide probably C19 plank door
with glazed light under early C20 gabled concrete porch with arched doorway and
window either side. Right-hand doorway is very narrow, probably inserted, with
early C20 plank door. Shippon attached to right-hand gable end is of granite
rubble with corrugated iron roof and has 4 regularly placed doorways along its
front. At left-hand gable end, to the rear of the projecting stack is a stair
projection. At the rear, roughly in the centre is another stair projection with
small window.
Good unspoilt interior. Passage has plank and muntin screen either side, muntins
are chamfered with worn straight cut stops. Left-hand room has 2 cross beams, one
very heavy (the other less substantial), both with chamfer and hollow step stops.
Fireplace is blocked. To its right is wooden newel staircase with original wooden
doorframe which has cambered head and is chamfered. On the screen this side the
head beam is chamfered. The room to the lower side of the screen has a central
cross beam chamfered with plain run-out stops. The screen is concealed this side
but a simply moulded head beam is visible. The fireplace is blocked but what looks
like a plastered beam runs above it with a jewelled post at its left-hand end
moulded at the top. At the rear of the room is a wooden newel staircase (with the
treads renewed) in a projection. The room at the lower side of this has a central
cross beam with chamfer and bar and hollow step stop. A similar ½-beam is set into
the back of the fireplace to the adjoining room. The lower end room has a central
cross beam chamfered with hollow step stops. Very wide fireplace with wooden
lintel chamfered with hollow step stops. It has 2 ovens, one at the back with a
stone arched opening and stone lining, and one to the right which is brick. Stone
newel staircase to right of fireplace. On the 1st floor in the room above that to
the right or the passage the base of a truss is visible and is a rudimentary form
of jointed cruck with a post simply lapped and pegged to the principal rafter.
This is smoke-blackened and has a threaded ridge and purlins.
This house has an unusual plan form with a very unspoilt interior containing a
large number of original features, more are likely to be concealed.

Listing NGR: SX7760086831

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26440284

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

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)