Description

CHUDLEIGH FORE STREET (west side), Chudleigh SX 8679 6/58 The Bishop Lacy Public House (Formerly listed as The Plymouth Inn) 23.8.55 GV II*

Public house. Circa early C16 origins, circa early C17 remodelling, subsequent rear left wing, C20 alterations. Colourwashed and rendered; slate roof, gabled at ends; end stacks, rear lateral stack to main range, end stack to rear right wing. The roof structure indicates that this building was a high status late medieval house of 5 bays, probably consisting of a storeyed bay at the left end, a 2-bay open hall and 2 storeyed bays at the right end with a fine first floor chamber. A rear right wing, at right angles to the lower end, was probably a C16 kitchen and may originally have had an open hearth. The hall was probably floored over in the C17 when the rear lateral stack may have been added. The remains of a through passage (now in use as the bar) survives to right of centre; the partition between the inner room (which was probably unheated until the C19) and hall no longer exists. A rear left wing, at right angles to the former inner room is probably a C19 addition and gives an overall U plan. 2 storeys. 5 window asymmetrical front, the central bay a canted 2-storey bay window. Front door to former passage to right of bay window, further door at extreme left, both with flat porch canopies carried on moulded timber brackets. C20 2-light casements with square leaded panes. Interior The roof structure is outstanding. The 2 right hand bays (probably originally the solar) have a hollow-chamfered arched brace truss with chamfered butt purlins with runout stops and 2 tiers of chamfered wind braces. There is no ridge piece. A closed truss divides this section of the roof from the 2 bays over the hall to the left with the remains of a presumably C17 cranked doorway in the closed truss. The truss over the hall is of similar design but with the arched braces moulded with an ovolo and hollow divided by fillets. The pegs fitting the rafters project through the purlins. A closed truss divides this 2-bay section from the extreme left hand bay, which is also wind braced. The roof structure over the rear right wing is also of considerable interest, 3 probably C16 collar rafter jointed cruck trusses, with slightly cambered collars mortised into the principals, again there is no ridge piece. The central truss is plastered and the 2 bays beyond it (to the rear) show some evidence of smoke staining. The old truss closest to the main range is not smoke-blackened. A comparatively modern truss adjacent to the junction with the main range suggests some rebuilding. It is possibly that a formerly detached open hearth kitchen with an unheated or storeyed bay was floored over when the end stack was added was subsequently linked to the main range. On the ground floor the remains of the through passage screens have pyramid stops and the passage joists are chamfered and stopped. The lower end is unusually narrow with a chamfered half-beam with step stops. The hall has a chamfered cross beam with step stops, exposed joists and, surrounding the fireplace on the rear wall, a re- sited round-headed chamfered doorway. The dimensions of this suggest that it was the original doorway to the through passage. Adjacent to the fireplace, and probably also re-sited, is a square-headed pegged doorway. The screen between hall and inner room no longer exists: a section of it may have been re-used as an internal lobby to the lounge bar entrance. Sections of a moulded timber cornice on either side of the fireplace may also be re-sited. An outstanding roof and several interior features of considerable interest.

Listing NGR: SX8666879445

External Links

• Wikidata Q17536010

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Recommended Books

• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)