Description

DARTINGTON SX76SE Billany Farmhouse 1/90 and Stables Adjoining 11.12.86 East North East

II

Farmhouse,l divided into 2 occupations and adjoining stables. Probably early to mid C17, extended in circa late C17 or early C18 and with C19 alterations. Rendered limestone rubble. Dry slate roof with gable ends, the roof level stepped down twice towards the right hand end, the right hand end section is clad in corrugated asbestos. Projecting rendered stack at left hand gable end with rebuilt shaft, rear lateral stack with rebuilt shaft and truncated right hand gable and stack. Plan. Long rectangular single depth plan of 4 rooms. The lower right end is heated from a gable end stack with ovens and a smoking chamber. The room to the right of centre has a blocked lateral stack at the back. To the left of centre there is a small unheated room at the front with an axial passage behind and a staircase behind that against the back wall. To the left of the unheated front room there is a through passage and at the extreme left end a room with a blocked gable end stack. Behind the centre and left end of the range there are circa C18 and/or C19 service outshuts, a kitchen to the left and dairy to the right with passage between. In circa early or mid C19 stables were added to the lower right hand end, set back. Interpretation: The right hand room has a much lower floor level land was originally the kitchen. The room to its left may have originally been the hall with a lateral stack at the back, but the only indication of a through passage is the back doorway into the later outshut at the rear. The unheated room to the left of centre and the passage and staircase behind may have been the site of the inner room converted when the extreme left end room and through passage were added perhaps in the late C17 or early C18. Either at the same time or soon after the lower end room was relegated to an outbuilding and internal stairs added to the front. The rear wall of this end appears to have been rebuilt at some time. it is difficult to explain the very thick section of the front wall at the higher end of the house through which the passage has been inserted and which extends immediately to the right at the front of the unheated room. Exterior: 2 storeys. Long asymmetrical 7 window range stepped down to the right. Late C19 2,3 and 4-light casements with glazing bars some with slate dripmoulds. Gabled half-dormer to right of centre. Doorway to left of centre has large C20 gabled wooden porch. A C17 ground floor window at the front of the lower right hand end has a wooden porch. A C17 ground floor window at the front of the lower right hand end has a wooden ovolo moulded frame of two light with true mitres; to the right of this window external stone stairs to a loft doorway with a plank door. Various outshuts at the rear with catslides roofs. Interior: The lower right hand end room has a large fireplace with a cambered chamfered lintel with ogee stops, and 2 stone ovens, the left hand oven inserted into a smoking chamber. This room has a pitched stone floor and a low ceiling with unchamfered ceiling beams and joists. The chamber above has a fireplace with a chamfered wooden lintel with ogee stops, the plastered jambs have sgraffito decoration of geometric shapes including squares and circles. The room to the right of centre has a thin chamfered ceiling beam with run-out stops. The higher left end has chamfered cross- beams with stops, one of which is a half-beam with ogee stops. The passage partition has a C18 2-panel door. Roof: over the lower right hand end there are 4 trusses with clean and straight principals, the lowered end truss is set into the gable end stack. The slightly cambered and chamfered collars are morticed into the principals which are halved and pegged at the apex; 2 tiers of threaded purlins and a diagonal ridge-piece. The later, probably C18 roof over the centre and higher left end has straight principals with lapped and pegged collars. The Stables: set back and adjoining the lower right hand end, has a lower roof level; local limestone rubble with a gable-ended corrugated asbestos roof; 2 storeys. 2 ground floor windows and a central doorway all have segmented stone arches; at the centre of the first floor a loft doorway. The stables were added in circa early or mid C19.

Listing NGR: SX7750362624

External Links

• Wikidata Q26579682

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Recommended Books

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  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
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  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)