Description

NORTH MOLTON BENTWITCHEN
SS 73 SW
10/132 West Bentwitchen Farmhouse
- II
Farmhouse. Circa 1500, altered probably in the early to mid C17. Probably early to
mid C20 alterations and minor additions. Rendered stone rubble and cob. Gable-ended
asbestos-slate roof (probably formerly thatched), with lean-to Welsh-slate roof over
porch and dairy. Monopitch corrugated-iron roof over scullery. Stone square stacks
with weatherings; later render and red brick tops.
Plan and development: Circa 1500 3-room and cross passage plan, facing south-west
(ground falls to left). Former late-Medieval open hall house, consisting of hall
with projecting full-height-gabled square bay to front, cross passage and service
room (present kitchen) to left and inner room to right. Formerly open to the roof
(probably continuously from end to end with rooms divided by low partitions). C17
alterations included the insertion of the first floor, insertion of the axial stack
to the left-hand end of the hall (backing onto the cross passage), insertion of the
integral end stack to the service room and external end stack to the former inner
room. Winder staircase (with small pantry behind) at rear of former cross passage,
probably also inserted in the C17 (present staircase appears to be largely C19). It
is probable the C17 flooring was carried out in stages, the hall remaining open to the
roof after the hall stack was inserted and the end rooms floored (note high lintel to
hall fireplace). The hall was probably floored last, later in the C17. The
projecting full-height square bay would also have been added as part of the C17
remodelling, perhaps to compensate for the loss of space in the hall after the
insertion of the stack. Eaves raised at some time, possibly as part of the C17
remodelling. Lean-to dairy at rear of upper (right-hand) end of house, probably a
late C18 or early to mid C19 addition. Probably late C19 or early C20 alterations
include the lean-to porch to cross-passage entrance and small scullery set back to
left. Wall between hall and inner room partly removed, probably in the C20. 2-
storeys with 1-storey additions.
Exterior: Asymmetrically-fenestrated front, with 4 windows to first floor and 3 to
ground floor; C20 2-light wooden casements (larger ground-floor window to bay, C20
but probably in original opening). Cross-passage doorway in left-hand angle of
projecting bay, with C19 boarded door and lean-to slate-roofed porch. Projecting
weathering to left of right-hand ground-floor window, possibly indicating a blocked
door or window. One-storey scullery to left with C20 half-glazed door to right.
Interior: Hall with part of C17 chamfered spine beams, the front beam with stepped
runout stop. C17 open fireplace to left with dressed stone jambs, high cambered
chamfered wooden lintel (chamfer returning to jambs) and segmental brick arched bread
oven with cast-iron door. Inner room to right with C17 chamfered spine beam; C17
open stone fireplace to right (reduced in width at some time) has chamfered wooden
lintel with stepped runout stops. Old boarded door to rear of inner room with strap
hinges, leading to dairy at rear, which has barred windows with internal shutters.
Left-hand ground-floor room (kitchen) with C20 cased steel beam and old open
fireplace to right with unchamfered wooden lintel and segmental stone relieving arch.
Winder staircase at rear of former cross passage, mainly C19 but possibly
incorporating some C17 work. Substantial remains of late Medieval smoke-blackened
roof. Medieval truss (possibly jointed crucks) at lower (left-hand) end of hall (in
front of stack) with mortise and tenoned cranked collar and morticed and tenoned
apex. Pairs of threaded purlins, surviving over hall at least, and diagonally-set
ridge piece, surviving over hall and inner-room end (sawn through between hall and
inner-room end, possibly when truss removed at this point). Smoke-blackened rafters
(with some laths) over hall and inner-room end. C20 roof structure above old roof.

Listing NGR: SS7307634008

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26508951

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

• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)