Description

SS 90 SW THORVERTON BULLEN STREET, Thorverton
8/123 Post Office Cottage and the Post
- Office and adjoining wall in
School Lane
GV II
House and 2 adjoining cottages, now 1 property incorporating the Post Office. Late
medieval origins, remodelled in the circa late C16/early C17 now in use as Post
Office; kitchen wing added in the C17; 2 small C17 cottages adjoining the kitchen
wing have been incorporated into the accommodation. Whitewashed and rendered,
blocked out on the School Lane elevation. Various materials of construction; the
range facing School Lane is said to be cob on stone rubble footings; a photograph of
the Bullen Street elevation during re-rendering shows that the right end of the main
block is stud with brick nogging above stone and the kitchen wing is stone to first
floor level, cob above. Thatched roof, gabled at left end, gabled at end of wing;
left end stack, axial stack and rear lateral stack to main range, all with brick
shafts; axial stack and end stack to wing.
Plan: L plan on the corner of School Lane and Bullen Street. Late medieval core in
the north/south block along School Lane with evidence for a 3 room and cross passage
plan, lower end to the left. It is not possible to establish whether the block was
open to the roof from end to end or whether it was part-floored originally. When the
hall was floored the hall stack was added backing on to the putative cross passage.
In the C17 a kitchen wing was added at right angles to the inner room (along Bullen
Street). 2 small C17 cottages, adjoining the end of the kitchen wing have been
incorporated into the house. The main range was refurbished in the circa late C18
with a stair added against the rear wall of the old hall.
Exterior 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 3 window front elevation to School Lane with a C19
entrance to right of centre directly into the old hall, with panelled reveals and a
rectangular fanlight above the door; C20 porch on posts; C20 casement windows with
leaded panes. Local stone wall, the masonry brought to course, adjoins the left end
and is capped with tiles.
The Bullen Street elevation is 4 windows with a C19 shop window; Post Office door to
left of shop window, second door to right of window. 2 first floor and 2 ground
floor 6 pane sashes at the right, 2 first floor C20 windows with leaded panes.
Interior : The hall has an open fireplace with an oak lintel and ashlar jambs; boxed
in axial beam. The rear of the chimney, formerly backing on to the putative passage,
is remarkable : the volcanic ashlar stone is carved with 2 wide recessed panels,
presumably in imitation of a plank and muntin screen. The parlour fireplace has an
odd shouldered stone lintel, difficult to date. The lower end room fireplace is
volcanic ashlar with an oak lintel with chambered jambs; a second flue rises from a
small alcove next to the fireplace. On the first floor in the south gable end wall
there is an aperture c. lm high and 0.8m wide with a rebated timber frame. It has
been suggested that this is a gardenrobe since there is a large cavity below,
adjacent to the lower end stack. A part of one jointed cruck is visible over the
hail (apex not inspected). The hall/inner room partition is a large-framed closed
truss with wattle and daub infill (part of which is exposed behind glass), sooted on
the hall side. The partition is similar to that in no 10-11, Fore Street,
Silverston (Thorp).
The kitchen wing has a massive open kitchen fireplace with a rough, probably replaced
oak lintel. It contains a large ash pit and the remains of at least 1 oven (the back
has been partly rebuilt). At the right end a small blocked segmental arch at hearth
level connects to a walk-in smoking chamber. 2 crossbeams, 1 chamfered with scoll-
stops, 1 roughly chamfered. There was formerly a newel stair adjacent to the kichen
stack. The first floor fireplace above has plain volcanic stone, jambs and a scroll-
nick stopped lintel.
The block to the west of the kichen was formerly a pair of small cottages, the 2
ground floor rooms divided by a timber frame containing 2 doorways. The exposed
doorway is chamfered with scroll-stops. A plain stone fireplace in the right end
wall has an oak lintel. The cottages appear to have functioned as an outbuilding at
the time : a tethering post is said to have been found behind the wall plaster during
renovations.
An evolved house with many interior features of interest.
Thorp, J., Typescript notes.

Listing NGR: SS9250602083

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26533316

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

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)