Description

WOODLEIGH PRESTON SX 75 SW 2/124 Preston Farmhouse 26.1.67 II Farmhouse. Late C16 or early C17, later modifications including C18 or C19 added wing. Rubble, slate roofs, some corrugated asbestos-cement to wing. A cross-passage plan, now one heated room each side but probably formerly two rooms to right, one replaced in later rebuild; stair turret off kitchen, 2- storey porch, byre or outbuilding at left end. In 3 storeys, break-in roof-line to right or porch at fireplace backing on cross-passage. Ground floor has plain wall corresponding with outbuilding and fireplace, 5-light late casement to wide inner splay, small 2-light; right of porch two 3-light casements, one of these to set-back end of wing, but under same roof slope. At first floor a half-gable with small 3-light C18 glazing bar casement, late 3-light in porch, C20 2-light in robing dormer, and 3-light to very slight raking dormer in set-back section. Left of porch beyond half gable two rows of pigeon openings, and a very small square light set to eaves, far left, above with arched outer doorway, with garage doors with vossoirs to porch on two stone steps to inner part-glazed door; small slit in porch wall each side, that to right covered by extended wall to parlour. Left gate plain. Back has gabled turret with square light at upper level, small half-dormer to right, above lean-to (not of special interest); left of stair turret a casement at each level and external door. Return wing has two 2-light at each level. Right return to plain gable, and casements in wing. Large rubble stacks with characteristic truncated pyramidal cappings, left on ridge to kitchen and smoking chamber, and at junction right of porch. Small brick stack to right gable. Interior: at one stage said to have been in 3 cottages. Stone flagged cross passage has to left, a wide, part-blocked doorway with heavy chamfered frame, with steps down to large kitchen, now with early cement screeded floor, very large bressummer fireplace, with bread oven, and a further unexplained chamber in the back wall. To the right of this fireplace is a lofty chamber with pointed dome formed by oversailing flat slabs, accessible from the byre side; this looks like a smoking chamber, but there is no sign of smoke blackening. Kitchen ceiling has no visible structural beams. Plank door to stair. Room right of passage is raised as steps, necessitated by ground slope, has wide fireplace with brick segmental lintol, replacing bressummer, on stone cheeks. No beams visible. Staircase has 2 steps in kitchen, then wood spiral in turret. No special features visible in upstairs room; roof inspected in part; at lower end has 3-pairs of heavy principals with collars to halved dovetail. Upper end much restructured, includes 3 pairs of less heavy princi- pals. An unusual element in the plan is the projection of the parlour, right of cross passage, with its outer wall brought flush with the front wall of the porch; this is likely to be an addition to the original plan, but cannot be explained internally. An important building, probably concealing further evidence in plastered ground floor ceilings.

Listing NGR: SX7434851654

External Links

• Wikidata Q26610658

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Recommended Books

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990