Description

MORCHARD BISHOP
SS 70 NE
5/128
- Stone Ash
- II

House, formerly a farmhouse. Early-mid C16 with late C16 and C17 improvements, C19
extension, C20 modernisation. Plastered cob and rubble; volcanic rubble and C19
brick stacks; thatched roof. Much altered 3-room-and-cross-or-through-passage plan
house facing south-west. Former service room at left (north-west) end and single
room addition at right end. Axial stack at lower end of hall and second axial stack
serves first floor of extension only. Stair block behind former inner room. Now 2
storeys throughout. Irregular 5-window front of C20 casements of various sizes,
none with glazing bars. The thatch lifts over dormer window on left end. Right end
windows in C20 bay broken forward from main front. C20 glazed doors. Right door to
former service room and left door with C20 hipped and slate roofed porch to former
inner room. The 2-light window to right of service room door apparently blocks a
former door. The roof is gable-ended to right and hipped to left. The hall stack
has its original volcanic stone chimney shaft raised with C19 brick.
Good interior of a multi-phase structure, although difficult in interpret. The
oldest part is the early-mid C16 roof over the hall. It is carried on a side-pegged
jointed cruck truss with threaded purlins, some common rafters survive and pegged
batons. It is smoke-blackened indicating that the hall, at least, was open to the
roof and heated by an open hearth fire. The thick cob crosswall between the hall
and inner room may indicate that the inner room was added. The axial beam here is
late C16-early C17, deeply chamfered with late step stops. Hall fireplace is mid-
late C17; it has volcanic rubble sides and an oak lintel, chamfered with straight cut
stops, and includes an inserted brick oven. The hall was floored about the same
time. The crossbeam and lintels of the window embrasure and blocked door are ovolo-
moulded with scroll-nick stops. The house then had a lobby entrance plan. Service
room has late C16-early C17 chamfered and step-stopped crossbeam but was apparently
extended, reroofed and converted to agricultural use in the C18. It was part-
floored until C20 modernisation. Roof here of plain A frames with pegged lap-
jointed collars. When rear wall was stripped circa 1970 no evidence was found for a
rear passage door. An unusual farmhouse with interesting development.

Listing NGR: SS7920908096

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26554101

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

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)