Description

LAPFORD SS 70 NW 4/70 - Pennycotts Farmhouse including 26.8.65 outbuildings adjoining to west - II*

Farmhouse with adjoining store. Probably early C16, major later C16 and C17 improvements, C17 barn extension converted to dairy and cider-house in C19 and again to store in C20, renovated circa 1970. Plastered cob on rubble footings; rubble stacks topped with C20 brick; thatched roof to house, corrugated iron (formerly thatch) to store. Originally a 4-room-and-through-passage plan house facing south with service end room at right (east) end. Unusual small room between inner room and former end wall. Projecting newel stair turret to rear of inner room. Rear projecting lateral stack to service room and front projecting lateral stacks to hall and inner rooms, the latter with large oven projection. C19 stairs block rear of passage. Long C17 extension to left (west) end with continuous roofline. Outshots to rear of hall and inner room. 2 storeys. Main house has 6-window front of variously sized late C19 and C20 casements with glazing bars and with irregular disposition. C19 4-panel door with C20 slate monopitch roof to passage set immediately right of hall stack. Secondary plank door to inner room left of inner room stack. Both hall and inner room stacks have their original stocky stone rubble chimney shafts with dripcourses and coping, and both now extended with C20 brick. The outbuilding extension to left has irregular fenestration, 3 windows to first floor and 4 to ground floor; most are C20 casements, some with glazing bars. Plank door towards left end is flanked by plain unglazed windows and has loading hatch above. Roof is hipped both ends. Rear of extension has full height projecting walls, presumably a former midstrey to large barn doorway, and end room has 2 wooden ventilators to ground floor. Good interior of a house with long and complex structural development. Its early C16 origins is shown only in the roof. The 3 bays over the hall and inner room are carried on side-pegged jointed cruck trusses with slightly cambered and soffit- chamfered collars. Here the whole roof structure including common rafters and under-thatch is thoroughly smoke-blackened and since the inner faces of the cob crosswalls at either end appear clean the early C16 house was probably divided only by low partition screens and heated by an open hearth fire. Roof over inner room end rebuilt in early-mid C17 with extension and late C18-early C19 replacement roof over service end room on A-frame trusses with pegged and bolted collars and X- apexes. A possibly original low partition on hall side of passage; a partly restored oak plank-and-muntin screen with the muntins chamfered both sides. Hall has large restored late C16 fireplace with small light on left side. Passage chamber built about same time jettying into then open hall with the first floor crosswall including a low oak plank-and-muntin screen. Hall floored in early C17 with an ogee-fillet-ovolo moulded and keeled-lozenge stopped crossbeam. Cob crosswall at upper end of hall includes a late C17 cupboard and an oak C16 flat- arched door with chamfered surround. Inner room has probably C17 stone rubble fireplace with plain chamfered oak lintel and inserted brick side oven. Late C16 crossbeams are chamfered with step stops and contemporary small stone newel stair to rear. Mid C17 moulded plaster cornice is carried round the crossbeams. Late C16- early C17 oak plank-and-muntin screen to small unheated end room, the muntins chamfered to inner room only. Service room includes a C17 chamfered and late step stopped crossbeam. It was probably extended in late C18-early C19 (when roof rebuilt) and end beam which was raised slightly circa 1970 is waney and unfinished. Small rubble fireplace in rear wall has C20 replacement lintel. On first floor a C17 doorway between passage and hall chambers contains original plank and ledged door hung on strap hinges. Inner room end and extension has 7-bay early-mid C17 roof in which most of original oak A-frame trusses with pegged dovetail lap-jointed collars survive. Large midstrey to rear suggests that extension originally built as a 5-bay barn. Front wall apparently much rebuilt in C19. Floors either side of central open bay carried on roughly-finished crossbeams of large scantling. Room towards east (main house) probably used as dairy in C19. Room towards west end probably a cider store with apple store above. The floor includes a chute and open bay would have housed cider-press. An interesting and Well-preserved multi-phase farmhouse.

Listing NGR: SS7226306409

External Links

• Wikidata Q17531071

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

• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings