Description

SAMPFORD COURTENAY
SS 60 SW
5/153
Paize Farmhouse
GV
II

Farmhouse. Circa late C15, possibly remodelled in C16 and remodelled
again and extended probably in the Cl7, subdivided in C19 and reduced,
reunited and refurbished in the late C20. Rendered cob walls. Gable-ended
thatch roof. Brick stack at left gable end and granite. axial stack with
dripcourse.
Plan and Development: the existing plan is 2 rooms and a central through-
passage, the kitchen at the lower left end is heated from a gable end
stack and the hall to the right has a fireplace at its lower end in a
stack which backs onto the passage. Until recently there was apparently
a quite large heated inner room with an outbuilding wing at right angles
to the front of the inner room. The outbuilding survives but the inner
room has been demolished recently. The surviving 2 room plan may be
the extent of the original house; from the lower left side of the passage
to the higher right-hand end of the hall it was open to the roof. The
lower end was probably also open to the roof originally in which case
it was floored first and a full-height partition inserted over the lower
side of the passage while the hall remained open to the roof. The next
phase was the insertion of the hall stack possibly when the hall was
floored in circa early Cl7. The addition of the now demolished inner
room with a chamber above was probably contemporaneous with the flooring
of the hall. In the C19 the house appears to have been divided into
2 cottages since a doorway has been inserted into the front of the lower
room and there are 2 staircases, one at the back of the lower left room
and the other at the back of the hall. The inner room and wing in front
of it was demolished and the house is undergoing refurbishment at the
time of the survey, 1987.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window front of C20, 1, 2 and 3-light
casements. C20 stable-type door to left of centre. Immediately to its
right is a wide Cl7 studded plank door to the passage with trident hinges
in an ovolo-moulded worn wooden frame whose left-hand jambs have been
replaced. In the later outbuilding adjoining the house to the right
is a late C15 or early C16 shouldered-head wooden doorframe which is
very likely to have come from the house.
Interior: the hall has 3 chamfered cross-beams that at the higher end
is a half-beam, all with ogee-stops, and exposed square-section joists.
A large granite fireplace at the lower end of the hall has chamfered
monolithic jambs, the chamfer continued on the lintel. There is apparently
a relieving arch over the lintel which is now concealed. The kitchen
has a very large rough chamfered cross-beam without stops, it is set
quite low; the square section joists are exposed. At the lower end a
large fireplace with a chamfered timber lintel, the stops, if any, are
concealed; the fireplace is blocked by a C20 range. On the higher side
of the passage a section of moulded (2 rolls with a hollow between) headbeam
to a screen which is missing. On the first floor in the partitions there
are 2 Cl7 chamfered doorframes with ogee-stops.
Roof: only the roofspace over the hall and passage was accessible at
the time of the survey (Feb 1987); the medieval structure is entirely
intact and completely smoke-blackened including the underside of the
thatch, battens, rafters, purlins and trusses. The higher gable end
wall and the higher side of the partition over the lower side of the
passage are also smoke-blackened indicating that at least this part of
the house was originally open to the roof. The truss over the hall and
another over the hall may be a full cruck, each has a triangular yoke
at the apex with a large trenched diagonal ridge-piece, threaded purlins
and chamfered cranked collars morticed into the principals. The third
truss over the lower end has jointed crucks with large crude face pegs.
The roofspace at the lower end is inaccessible, therefore, the apex of
the truss is not described; the roof structure over this end is probably
also medieval. A most interesting feature of the house is what appears
to be an early form of pothanger. Part of the structure remains in the
roof over the hall on the higher side of the inserted stack. It has
a sort of collar spanning the hall fixed to the purlins probably by birds-
mouth joints. Hanging loose through a hole in this 'collar' and fixed
by a peg is a vertical wooden shaft with a eye at the bottom. The main
part of the apparatus has been taken out of the roof but is preserved
in the house. It consists of a heavy wooden board with 8 hooks made
from small forked branches, only crudely fashioned and fixed into mortices
in the board, one still retaining its hazel twig peg. The whole is heavily
smoke-blackened and was presumably suspended over the open hearth fire
for hanging pots and cooking and curing meat. This is a very rare if
not unique survival.

------------------------------------

SAMPFORD COURTENAY
SS 60 SW
5/153
Paize Farmhouse
GV
II

Farmhouse. Probably early C16 origins, remodelled in Cl7. Rendered cob walls.
Gable ended thatch roof. Brick stack at left gable end and granite axial stack
with dripcourse.
Plan: 2-room and through passage plan, lower end to the left. Hall stack backs
onto the passage, lower end stack may be inserted.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window front of C20, 1, 2 and 3-light
casements. C20 stable type door to left of centre. Immediately to its right
is wide Cl7 studded plank door with trident hinges in an ovolo-moulded worn
wooden frame whose left-hand jamb has been replaced. In a later outbuilding
adjoining the house to the right is an early C16 shouldered-head wooden
doorframe which is very likely to have come from the house.
Interior: Inaccessible at time of survey, It is likely to have interesting
interior features including a medieval roof structure.

------------------------------------

SAMPFORD COURTENAY
SS 60 SW
5/153 Paize Farmhouse
GV
II
Farmhouse. Probably early C16 origins, remodelled in C17. Rendered cob walls.
Gable ended thatch roof. Brick stack at left gable end and granite axial stack with
dripcourse.
Plan: 2-room and through passage plan, lower end to the left. Hall stack backs
onto the passage, lower end stack may be inserted.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window front of C20, 1, 2 and 3-light
casements. C20 stable type door to left of centre. Immediately to its right is
wide C17 studded plank door with trident hinges in an ovolo-moulded worn wooden
frame whose left-hand jamb has been replaced. In a later outbuilding adjoining the
house to the right is an early C16 shouldered-head wooden doorframe which is very
likely to have come from the house.
Interior: Inaccessible at time of survey. It is likely to have interesting interior
features including a medieval roof structure.

Listing NGR: SS6203500985

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26440105

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

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
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  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
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  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)