Description

WEST ALVINGTON
SX 74 SW
5/194 Lower Easton

G. V. II

House, probably formerly a farmhouse. Circa mid C17 remodelled and extended in
early C18 with C19 additions. Roughly coursed slatestone rubble walls. Natural
slate roof hipped to left end, gabled to right. Brick stack at each end of house.
Plan: the main part of the house is of 2 room and cross passage plan, the passage formerly had a rear doorway. The larger room to the right has a fireplace in its end wall and probably functioned as a hall kitchen. The left-hand room also has a fireplace at its far end although it probably superceded one that backed onto the passage which is now blocked. In the early C18 the house was considerably remodelled: it was refronted, refitted internally and extended apparently with a small wing behind each end. The left-hand one probably contained a staircase and may have extended further to the rear. The other rear wing is offset oddly from the house, and its purpose is obscure. It is a very small unheated room but with a good quality C18 wall cupboard which suggests a funtion other than service. It may have corresponded to a third room in the original house, situated beyond the hall, in front of this small room, and which has since been demolished, but this can only be speculative.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Symmetrical 5 window front of C20 replica 16-pane sashes
set flush to the exterior face of the wall. Central C20 glazed door with
contemporary flat hood over. The 2 ground floor left-hand windows have stone
stringcourses above. At either end of the house is a rear wing, projecting out
from the side of the house, the right-hand wing being virtually square in shape.
A C19 rear lean-to runs between the 2 wings.
Interior: stone flagged floors. Larger right-hand room has 3 chamfered and
convex-stopped cross beams with plain joists. Very wide open fireplace with oven
in right-hand side and C20 replacement wooden lintel. The small room behind has
an early C18 2 panel door and an C18 well cupboard with arched head that has a
dropped keystone and shaped shelves. The room to the left of the passage has an
early C18 fielded 2 panel door. It has a partly restored C18 moulded plaster
cornice which also encases a central cross beam, There is a recess in the wall
backing onto the partition which was formerly probably a fireplace and was
converted in the early C19 into an alcove. On the first floor the left-hand room
has a simple C18 cornice. However, an inspection of the roofspace reveals a C17
plaster frieze (somewhat painted over) above the cornice on the axial
chimneybreast which may have been related to a plaster overmantel above a
fireplace in this room. One C17 roof truss survives at this end of the house but
otherwise the roof timbers are of a C19 date or later. Other C18 2 panel doors
also survive on the first floor. Simple C19 staircase.
This house is an interesting blend of features from different periods and although
its windows are recent replacements they are of traditional form and it presents
an attractive appearance to the road.

Listing NGR: SX7260442723

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26402197

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6