Description

OTTERHAM
SX 19 SE
3/142 Outbuilding adjoining north west
of Smallhill Barton Farmhouse
GV II
Outbuilding, possibly originally a domestic building. Probably C16. Local stone
rubble; the north end extension has cob upper walls. Dry rag slate roof with gabled
ends. There are no chimney stacks.
The original building is rectangular, of 1-room plan with an entrance at the right
hand (north) end of the east front and with an opposing entrance in the back (west)
wall now blocked. The doorway at the left end of the front is probably later. There
are signs of an internal lateral fireplace at the centre of the front wall; this
would have been a later insertion if the building were originally open to the roof
which is suggested by the 2 possibly smoke-blackened roof trusses. However the
blackening of the roof may have been caused by something else. Because there is no
evidence for it having been part of a larger building it might have been a detached
service building. It is now attached at the front left hand corner to the lower end
of the circa late C17 house, Smallhill Barton Farmhouse (qv). At the right (north)
end a probably C18 farm building has been added.
2 storeys. The ground floor has a doorway to the right of centre with a C19 plank
door. The doorway to the left is probably a later insertion and also has a C19 plank
door, and both doorways have wooden lintels. Very small first floor window under the
eaves above the right hand doorway; it has brick jambs and a slate sill. Adjoining
to the right a later outbuilding extension with a single storey lean-to on the front
with its walls made of large vertically set slates and with a rag slate roof; the
right gable end of the main extension is rendered and has C20 garage doors. At the
back of the extension a lean-to outshot which may have been pig-stys. There is a
small lower single storey lean-to behind the original building.
Interior : only 2 of the original trusses survive, they are at the left (south) end,
the principals have short curved feet embedded in the walls, their apices are
morticed and only 2 of the threaded purlins survive; as the apices are partly
concealed it is difficult to see whether there was a ridge-piece. The principals
also have mortices for butt purlins and large mortices for the collars which are
missing; one of the truss blades is also missing. The trusses and purlins appear to
be smoke blackened, but not all over. 3 chamfered cross-beams, one with 1 step stop;
these are also blackened suggesting that the roof blackening was caused by something
other than an open hearth fire. The ceiling joists are missing.
Polsue, J. Lakes Parochial History of the County of Cornwall, vol IV 1872, reprinted
1974. Sites and Monuments Register, County Hall, Truro

Listing NGR: SX1722894198

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26517031

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

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)