Description

DARTINGTON
Little Westcombe
SX76SE
1/98

II

House C16; eaves raised and reroofed and possibly floor inserted into hall
in C17; divided into 3 cottages probably in C18 or Cl9 and recently
restored and reunited into one house. Local stone rubble; roughcast
rendered at front and ends. Asbestos slate roof with gabled right end and
half-hipped left end. Stone rubble gable end stack to right with rendered
shaft; Rendered front lateral stack and stone rubble rear lateral stack.
Plan: 3 rooms and through passage plan house; the lowered end to left was
originally unheated. The higher right end of the house appears to have
been originally unheated. The higher right end of the house appears to
have been extended to create a large inner room with a gable end stack.
The hall may have been open to the roof and the front lateral stick built
when the floor was inserted probably in C17. The evidence for an open hall
is only the 2 rear stair turrets for access to the storeyed higher and
lower ends and the mid-floor level front window of the hall which seems to
have been partly blocked by the hall lateral stack and inserted floor. The
C17 roof is entirely clean and may have been built when the hall floor was
inserted and the eaves raised. Probably in the C18 and C19 the house was
converted into 3 cottages and this is possibly when the inner room was
extended to provide enough room for one cottage and when the rear lateral
stack was built to heat the cottage at the lower end. At the rear of the
hall there is a lean-to outshut of uncertain date which has been heightened
in C20 probably quite recently when the 3 cottages were reunited into one
house.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Long asymmetrical 5/6 window range, lower end to
left set back slightly. All C20 casements with leaded panes, those on
first floor are relatively small, but ground floor openings have been
enclosed. Large projecting lateral stack to right of centre with set-offs,
weathering and tapered top. Small but tall single-light window to left of
stack at mid floor level with slate dripstone, which may have been the hall
window before the stack blocked most of it. Passage doorway to left of
centre with C20 plank door and slated lean-to canopy.
Rear elevation has slightly projecting stair turrets to right and left of
centre with small single light windows, and lean-to between the turrets
which has been heightened in C20. to left behind the higher end a C20
single storey outshut.
To right a projecting rear lateral stack with set-offs, and a stove or
privy on the right hand corner with a hipped scantle slate roof.
Interior: front lateral hall fireplace with massive slate-on-edge lintel
with chamfer, the stops covered by later strengthening of the jambs; oven
to right with brick lining. Hall inner room partition replaced either late
C20 timber frame partition; there may have been a timber frame partition
above. C20 partitions between passages and hall and passage and lower
room. Stone newel stairs rise from rear of hall originally to chamber over
inner room, and also there was a newel stair rising from rear of passage to
chamber over lower end the latter stairs have been removed and C20 straight
stairs substituted Hall and inner room ceilings are plastered; the lower
end room has later exposed joists.
Roof: straight principal rafters with collars and threaded purlins.

Listing NGR: SX7642862306

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26610575

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

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  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
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  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Care and Repair