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

• Historic England Listing
• 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

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide