Description

HORRABRIDGE
SX 56 NW
7/3 Sortridge Manor
-
14.6.52
GV II*

Manor house. Mid C16, front porch added C17, in early C18 remodelled internally and
rear service wing added with later alterations including rebuilding at right return
after some destruction by fire, probably late C19/early C20, with later alterations.
Slatestone rubble, coursed with some granite, granite dressings, random rubble to
sides and rear, some slatehanging; Welsh slate roof with C17-C18 handmade ridge tiles
to rear, hipped to right, rendered battered ridge stacks and gable stack to left.
Possibly originally of conventional 3 room and through passage plan with lower end to
right and higher end to left, hall and inner room now incorporated as one. Made
symmetrical in C17 and porch added to front of passage, possibly at this time a
further unheated room added to lower end. In c. early C18, the passage was widened
to form a stair hall, lower service end converted into a parlour and a service wing
built at rear of original hall. Passage built at the rear of the hall and lower end
to provide access. Irregular L-plan thus formed by accretion; symmetrical front.
2 storeys, 3:1:3 windows, central 2-storey gabled porch has round-headed opening with
C19 half-glazed round-headed door with strap hinges, 3-light mullioned window above
with hollow-chamfered and flat-faced mullions, metal-framed casements with glazing
bars and C20 leaded lights, hood-mould, other front windows similar without hood-
mould, moulded string course over door and carried over lintels of all ground floor
windows; left and right side slate-hung above string course. Right and left, 3
similar 3-light mullioned windows at ground floor and 3 smaller of 3 lights at first
floor, at cellar level to right 3 small 2-light mullioned windows with plate glass,
boarded to right, cellar windows and some at ground floor retain iron stanchions; 2
small buttresses to left of porch. Right return slate-hung, with some scalloped
slates at first floor level, ground floor centre bay broken forward with C20 copy of
3-light granite mullioned window, first floor level set forward over ground floor
with C20 2-light wooden casement; 2-storey addition along rear to right has former
opening at ground floor with segmental brick head, at first floor a similar 2-light
wooden casement, covered area on 3 wooden piers enclosing a 4-centred arched C20 door
through curtain wall. Left return has string course returned, similar granite C20
replacement narrow 2-light mullioned window and 2-light wooden casement at first
floor, large external stack, possibly rebuilt and small brick lean-to in angle with
rear wing; large external stack, possibly rebuilt and small brick lean-to in angle
with rear wing; 2-storey wing has hipped roof and stone weathered ridge stack, 3
windows, ground floor has small 3-light granite mullioned window as on front and 4-
light granite mullioned window, possibly reset from rear of house when rear wing was
built, 4-centred arched granite opening with half-glazed double doors of late
C19/early C20; first floor has 2 wooden 2-light casements in formerly larger openings
and 2-light granite mullioned window as on front. Rear of rear wing has to right a
C20 2-light casement at ground floor and small 2-light 3-pane casement to left with
timber lintel under irregular joint to rear range forming inner courtyard; granite
quoins. Rear has 2-span roof with vent on ridge, hipped to right, external lateral
stack to rear left, ground floor has C20 9-pane light and door with glazed panel and
timber lintel, upper loading door to right. Inner side of rear wing has gound floor
3-light wooden C20 casement and double doors with triangular hood, first floor has 2
C20 casements, second floor has 2 C20 3-light casements, all slate-hung. Small C20
2-storey addition in angle with rear of main range. Rear of main range has steep
gable, rendered, with 8-pane sash at first floor, 3-light granite mullioned window
with hood-mould at ground floor set inside glazed porch with C20 2-light casement and
half-glazed door; C20 2-storey corridor addition to left along rear constructed to
form access to first floor rooms of main range.
Interior porch has inner granite doorway with depressed 4-centred arch, hollow-
chamfered with large square stops with raised roundels, door with raised moulded
battens applied round border and forming central pediment. Entrance hall has open
well early C18 staircase, twisted balusters alternating with turned balusters, turned
pendants and plain newel; door to cellar stair with earlier C19 moulded frame with
raised roundels and run out stops, straight granite stair to cellar; room to right
panelled with bolection mouldings, recessed cupboard with shaped shelves on inner
wall, fireplace with moulded wooden surround; lower end room to right largely
remodelled, has similar 4-centred arched granite doorway to rear passage, hood-mould
curtailed, chamfered and stopped surround, granite corbels along outer wall to
passage, wall stepped out at granite window. Room to left (former hall) separated
from entrance hall by partition has fireplace with hollow-chamfered flat lintel and
jambs, door to rear passage in granite with 4-centred arch, chamfered with straight
cut stops; end room has slate floor, granite fireplace with roll mouldings, central
tympanum on flat head. Rear passage has granite floor and granite doorway with 4-
centred arch, chamfered with straight cut stops, spandrels of arch cut into triangles
and hood-mould, door with applied moulded battens. At first floor, room to left of
entrance hall has chamfered granite fireplace, room to right has fireplace with
bolection moulded surround; rear wing approached by 2 C19 winder stairs, C18 panelled
doors and room to left of entrance hall has 3-light granite mullioned window,
formerly external, now closed by cupboards to rear. Roof has 6 bays visible at time
of survey (July 1985) with principal rafters, crossed, 2 rows of through purlins, 1
truss with cambered collar. Rear wing probably rebuilding of earlier rear wing, wall
thicknesses vary along rear passage.
This building has an interesting plan evolution and some high quality features
survive from the main periods. The staircase position compares with that of Stuart
House, Lostwithiel, Cornwall.

Listing NGR: SX5062571048

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17537605

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

• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy