Description

HARBERTON

1309/5/435 LUSCOMBE
23-APR-93 Middle Luscombe

(Formerly listed as:
LUSCOMBE
Skindles Farmhouse)

II
House, formerly a farmhouse known as Skindles Farmhouse. Circa early C17.
Colour-washed stone rubble. Asbestos slate roof with gabled ends.
Massive rendered axial stack to right of ridge and gable end stacks, the
lower left hand gable end stack projects and has set offs.
Plan: Three room and through passage plan lower end to the left, axial
stack at inner end of hall and gable end stack heating lower end and
inner rooms. The lower end room was possibly originally the parlour or
changed to the parlour when the kitchen wing was added to the rear of the
higher end in circa C18 or early C19. The stack at the higher gable end
was possibly added about this time and in circa early C19 the passage
was widened and a stair tower built of the back of the passage. The 2-
storey porch at the front of the passage is C17.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Long three-window range. Original window openings
with original chamfered timber lintels with long scroll or step stops, the
central hall window lintel is rendered. All C19 3-light casements with
glazing bars, except for first floor centre which is late C18 or early
C19 4-light casement, two lights with leaded panes. Similar first floor
right hand window but partly blocked. The only original window on the
front is ground floor right to inner room which has 4-light ovolo moulded
timber frame. Passage doorway to left of centre has C17 stone porch with
finely dressed slate round arch with imposts. Inner door frame has
hollow and ovolo moulding with baluster stops, massive nail studded plank
door with wrought iron hinges. The porch is two storeys in height with
a raking asbestos slate roof, but there are no first floor windows.
Rear: 3-light ovolo moulded timber window with stanchion bars to first
floor of lower right hand end. Two storey lean-to roof stair tower
addition at centre and gable ended kitchen wing to left, at higher end.
Apart from the lower end first floor window all the other rear windows
are C19 casements with glazing bars.
Interior: Lower side of passage has section of C17 plank and muntin
screen, the muntins have scratch mouldings. Hall fireplace, with an
oven, at inner end of hall, has ovolo moulded timber lintel with barred
run out stops. Hall ceiling plastered. Roughly chamfered ceiling beam in
inner room which has fireplace in end wall with replaced lintel.
Fireplace in lower end room has ovolo moulded timber lintel with barred
run out stops. Early Cl9 stairs with stick balusters and square newels,
inserted into rear of passage which was widened by moving the hall
screen which is now a plastered stud partition. Another later partition
in stair hall at bottom of stairs.
Roof: Much rearranged structure but some C17 principal rafters survive
which have holes for threaded purlins which are missing, and pegged lap
jointed apexes and collars.

Listing NGR: SX7953457068

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26576240

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

• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey