Description

SY 09 SW ROCKBEARE ALLERCOMBE

3/105 Lower Allercombe Farmhouse
-

GV II

Farmhouse. Late C16 - early C17, modernised in late C19 and at the same time both
end walls were rebuilt. Plastered cob on stone rubble footings with the end walls
rebuilt with some patching elsewhere in late C19 brick; one cob stack, one late C19
brick stack, both topped with C20 brick; corrugated asbestos roof (formerly thatch).
Originally a 3-room-and-through-passage plan house facing west with the inner room
at the right (southern) end. The hall has a projecting front lateral cob stack and
the service room has a rebuilt brick end stack. The original front passage door was
blocked in the late C19 and replaced by 2 front doors, one to the service room and
another to the inner room. The rear passage doorway remains in situ. A small stair
turret projecting to rear towards the upper end of the hall is built of brick; it is
probably a late C19 rebuild of the original. Now 2 storeys throughout.
Irregular 5-window front of various casements, some late C19 but mostly C20 and few
with glazing bars. The inner room has a late C19 4-panel door but the contemporary
doorway to the service room contains a reused possibly C17 plank door which is
similar to the rear passage door. The roof is gable-ended to left and hipped to
right. The rear end of the passage has the original oak doorframe. It has a
chamfered surround and contains an old plank door hung on plain strap hinges.
Good, little-modernised interior. Apart from the end walls the original late C16 -
early C17 structure appears to survive intact although parts are hidden by C19
plaster. The passage is lined both sides by oak plank-and-muntin screens. On the
service side the muntins are chamfered with step stops. The hall screen is
plastered over but the owner remembers covering a plank-and-muntin screen there.
The service room crossbeam and end half-beam are soffit-chamfered with step stops.
The large kitchen fireplace is late C19 brick. The hall fireplace is blocked by a
C20 grate and the crossbeam is papered over. The hall was probably open to the roof
originally and the beam inserted in the early or mid C17. It has a soffit-chamfer and
appears to have pyramid stops to the front and scroll stops to the rear. The upper
hall crosswall is plastered over and no carpentry is exposed in the inner room. The
stair turret contains a probably C19 winder stair. The roof is carried on a series
of side-pegged jointed cruck trusses. The roofspace is not accessible but where
some plaster has fallen away the timbers do not seem smoke-blackened. Only one of
the collars shows and it has a pegged dovetail-shaped lap joint. The trusses at the
upper end of the hall and lower side of the passage are closed but no framing is
exposed. Another first floor crosswall over the hall contains an oak doorframe with
chamfered surround. The main hall chamber has a small C17 fireplace with soffit-
Chamfered lintel with a low segmental arch. Other C16 and C17 features are likely
to be hidden.
Despite the late C19 end walls the late C16 - early C17 farmhouse appears to survive
very little altered.

Listing NGR: SY0489394635

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26570599

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)