Description

HARBERTON
SX75NE
5/432 LUSCOMBE
Higher Luscombe Cottage

GV II

Cottage, formerly a farmhouse. Circa early to mid C16, remodelled and
extended in circa early C17. Lower left end demolished at unknown date,
rear outshut of circa late C18 or C19. Local stone rubble right of front
wall is coursed and dressed slate. Asbestos slate roof with gabled ends,
roof at left hand end is at lower level. Late C19 or C20 red brick shaft
to axial stack to left of centre.
Plan: Originally a 3 room and through passage plan; the lower left end except
for the passage, has been demolished at some stage. The remains of a roof
truss at the lower end of the hall and other reused principal rafters appear
to be smoke-blackened indicating that the hall at least was probably
originally open to the roof and heated by an open-hearth fire. In circa
early C17 the house was remodelled, the higher end was extended forwards and
a porch added in front of the passage in the angle to the left, the hall was
floored, an axial stack was inserted at the lower end of the hall backing
onto the passage and a stair turret was built on the back of the hall.
The inner room seems to have remained unheated and may have served as a
dairy if the lower end had already been demolished. In circa late C18 or
C19 an outshut was added to the back of the hall. A barn (Barn adjoining east
of Higher Luscombe Cott (qv)) was built at right angles in front of the
higher end of the house probably in the C18.
Exterior: 2 storeys. 2 window range. The right hand section is the
projecting hall with a dressed stone front with a moulded plinth and the
floor is slightly corbelled out on similar mouldings which return to the
left; both mouldings are repeated on the front of the left hand flank wall
of the open-fronted porch at the front of the passage doorway which is set
back to the left. The passage doorway has a C19 plank door and a late C19
2-light casement above. The ground floor hall window to the right has a
chamfered timber lintel to the original wide opening and 2 late C19 or
early C20 2-light casements with horizontal glazing bars. The late C19 or
early C20 2-light casement above has horizontal glazing bars and a
timber lintel. To the right of the front a barn adjoins at right
angles.
The lower gable end wall to the left is stone rubble on the ground
floor and rebuilt in tendered concrete blocks above.
At the back the main roof is swept down over the outshut enclosing the
stair turret to the left of centre. To the left a late C19 3-light casement
on the ground and first floors. To the right of the outshut the
passage rear doorway has a C20 door and canopy.
Interior: The hall has chamfered ceiling beams with straight cut stops and
one with bar stops; axial stack at lower end of the hall has a blocked
fireplace. A partition has been inserted into the hall to create a passage
across the back to provide access from the through passage to the inner
room. The inner room also has later partitions and a ceiling beam with
step stops. The stair turret at the back of the hall has wooden winder
stairs.
Roof: One blade and collar of an original truss survives at the lower
end of the hall; the principal has mortices for threaded purlins and a
tenon at the apex and the collar appears to have a mortice and tenon
joint; it seems to be smoke-blackened and the hall stack is inserted
underneath. There are other reused smoke-blackened principal rafters over
the hall with mortices for the purlins. The roof over the passage has
been replaced recently, in the C20.

Listing NGR: SX7952957098

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26610631

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

• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)