Description

WEST ALVINGTON SX 74 SW 5/183 Easton Farmhouse 26.1.67 G.V. II

Farmhouse. Early C17 with C18 and C19 additions and alterations. Slatestone rubble walls roughly coursed to right-hand part of main range and porch. Natural and asbestos slates to roof, gabled at right-hand end and rear wing, hipped to left and half-hipped to stair wing at rear. Brick axial stack and rendered brick stack at right gable end and to rear wing, rendered stone axial stack with brick shaft to left. Plan: Originally probably a 2 room and through passage plan with small stair wing at rear of passage, The larger room to the left probably funtioned as a hall/kitchen with a large fireplace in its end wall. The smaller right-hand room was heated by a fireplace backing onto the passage and may have been a parlour. At the rear of the passage is a small wing which continues up to attic height with a winding stair at the top and probably contained a similar or dog-leg stair below, which has been replaced by a C19 staircase. To either side of this wing are out shuts which were probably added in the later C18 or C19. In the early C18 the house appears to have undergone a minor remodelling internally and probably at this stage a further unheated room was added at its left-hand end. Behind this room a service wing extends to the rear which has been partly rebuilt earlier this century. Exterior: 2 storeys, with attic to right-hand part of house. Asymmetrical 5 window front of C19 2 and 3-light casements. Two thirds of the way along the front to the left is a vertical straight joint and the ground foor window beyond it has a brick arch above. To right of centre is a tall gabled 2 storey porch with a round-arched doorway of stones set on edge. Behind it the inner doorway has a C17 wooden ovolo-moulded doorframe with bar stops containing a heavy studded oak plank door. To the right of the porch the eaves are higher and there are 2 dormer attic windows. The rear elevation of the house has a tall shallow wing to left of centre with C17 ovolo moulded 2-light wooden mullion window at the top and C19 transomed casement below: outshut to left and right of it and wing projecting forwards from right-hand end. Interior: on left of passage is a late C19 or C20 tongue and groove partition which, judging from the headbeam above, replaces an earlier wooden screen. Room to left has 2 ovolo-moulded cross beams and a wide fireplace with a similarly decorated wooden lintel and dressed stone jambs. It has 2 ovens. This room has an early C18 2 panel door, whereas there are 6 panel C18 doors to the rear of the passage and into the right-hand room. This room has a fireplace with dressed stone jambs and a wooden lintel which recently had to be replaced after the fireplace had previously been broken through to make a doorway. On the first floor there is another 6-panel door into the left-hand room which has two C18 2 panel cupboard doors. It also had a contemporary fielded panelled surround to the window and window seat. The far end bedroom has another small C18 cupboard with panelled doors in its front wall and one of an earlier appearance adjoining the chimneystack which has bolection panelled doors. In the rear wall of the landing, close to the stairs, is a C17 chamfered doorframe with a cranked head and contemporary studded door which opens into a small room integral with the stair wing. Over the original house are 4 pairs of principal rafters, and 1 pair over the stair wing. This and the 2 over the centre part of the house have curved feet. All the trusses have trenched purlins and collars halved and pegged onto the principals which are morticed at the apex. For the quality of its features it seems unusual that this house consisted originally of only 2 rooms; subsequent extensions have not detracted from its character and it preserves some good quality joinery of differing periods internally.

Listing NGR: SX7258442775

External Links

• Wikidata Q26402192

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Recommended Books

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
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  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)