Description

HIGH BICKINGTON SS 60 20 15/64 Beechwood House and adjoining - service courtyard walls

GV II

Rectory, now house, and adjoining service courtyard walls. Circa 1830-40. Rendered, probably over stone rubble. Hipped scantle-slate roof. Rendered stacks with cornices. Plan: Double-depth central-entrance plan, facing west. Central entrance hall, small study to right with integral end stack and staircase to rear, drawing room to left with canted bay to left, and dining room to its rear with axial stack between and integral end stack. Projecting kitchen wing set back to right, with integral end stack, and service wing projecting to rear with former bakehouse/wash house at far end. Wall enclosing service courtyard in angle at rear. Two storeys with one-storey part at rear of service range. Exterior: Plinth and deeply projecting eaves. Symmetrical 3-bay front; early C19 twelve-pane glazing bar sashes (upper leafs of principal windows with samll cyma- moulded horns) with stone cills, and ground-floor windows with moulded cornices above supported on small shaped brackets. Central recessed early C19 four-panelled door with central beading, round-arched overlight, moulded imposts and moulded architrave to arch with keystone. Tuscan doorcase with pilasters supporting frieze, moulded cornice and blocking course. Three-bay left-hand return front. Pair of first-floor 12-pane glazing bar sashes to left, tripartite glazing bar sash to right (with solid wall between lights), pair of ground-floor tall 6-pane glazing bar sashes to left (upper leaves of 2 panes) with stone cills and moulded cornices supported on small shaped brackets and ground-floor canted bay to right with moulded cornice and blocking course and 3 tall 6-pane glazing bar sashes (top leaves of 2 panes). Right- hand return front has tall margin-light glazing bar sash (with horns to upper leaf) lighting staircase hall and small ground-floor 4-pane window lighting pantry with internal wrought-iron bars. Right-hand kitchen wing has small wooden bellcote on ridge with round-arched openings, pyramidal lead cap with ball finial and gilded weathervane, and bell with pulley-wheel. First-floor and ground-floor wide tripartite glazing bar sashes (16-pane to centre and 8-pane to side lights), ground- floor window with segmental-arched head. Lean-to porch in angle to left has pair of early C19 three-panelled doors (upper panels raised and fielded and lower 2 panels beaded flush). Early C19 downpipe in angle of wing has moulded semi-curcular lead rainwater head. Rear of main block is irregularly fenestrated, with pair of early C19 glazing bar sashes on each floor to left. Service wing to rear, facing service courtyard, has first-floor round-arched glazing bar sash to right with impost blocks and key block and doorway to right has pair of small-paned half-glazed doors (lower panels beaded flush). Small ground-floor 2-light wooden casement to left. One- storey probable former bakehouse/wash house to left with 4-pane window and plank door. Former cartshed adjoining to far left with 2-bay open front (right-hand bay blocked). Rear (south) of right-hand end of service wing has 2 first-floor C20 nine-pane glazing bar sashes, ground-floor C20 triple 12- and 4-pane glazing bar sash to right with segmental head, and early C19 twelve-pane glazing bar sash to left, also with segmental head. Early C19 stone rubble walls enclosing north and east sides of courtyard at rear. Round-arched doorway to north with voussoirs, and wide gateway to east. Small slate-roofed lean-to outbuilding in angle of wall. Interior: Complete and well-detailed early C19 interior. Entrance/staircase hall with moulded skirting board, lincrusta wallpaper to dado, moulded dado rail and moulded plaster cornice (also to landing). Six-panelled doors with panelled reveals and soffits and moulded architraves. Entrance lobby flanked by antae with plain medallions to moulded capitals and supporting beam with panelled soffit. Front doorway with moulded architrave, and draught lobby with 2 half-glazed doors and half- glazed side-lights. Fine early C19 dog-leg staircase with landing, open string with cut brackets, treads with moulded nosings, moulded wall string, lincrusta wallpaper to dado, dado rail, turned balusters (2 per tread) cast-iron foot newel and swept moulded handrail, wreathed to foot newel with carved stylized foliage. Flying top flight with beaded corners to soffit. Balustrade returns to landing. Staircase with old brass stair rods at time of survey (January 1988). Small study to right of entrance has moulded plaster cornice and soffit and early C19 chimney-piece with pilasters and bracketed mantelshelf. Drawing room to left of entrance has moulded skirting board, picture rail and enriched plaster cornice and soffit. Windows with panelled shutters, lower jambs and soffits. Windows in bay with vertical-sliding panelled shutters. Early C19 chimney-piece consisting of pilasters and frieze with Greek key ornament and scrolled brackets supporting mantelshelf. Dining room to rear of drawing room has moulded skirting board and plaster cornice with egg and dart enrichment and plaster soffit with vine-trail enrichment. Windows with panelled shutters and moulded architraves. Narrow early C19 oak floor-boards. Elliptical- arched sideboard recess with panelled reveals and soffit and moulded architrave. Marble fireplace with panelled pilasters. Six-panelled green-baize door leading to kitchen corridor, with stone floor, meat hooks and board for former servants' bells (since removed). Four-panelled door to cellar. Former kitchen has large fireplace with early C19 beaded architrave and mantleshelf, and flanking cupboards. Windows and doors with beaded splayed jambs. Matchboarded dado. Small pump room to rear of kitchen with lead pump. Early C19 dog-leg back staircase with winders, closed string, stick balusters and 2-leaf child gate. Pair of early C19 doors in rear wing each with 2 raised and fielded panels. Bakehouse/wash house in rear of service wing with probable former washing copper and bread oven with cast-iron door. Most windows throughout the house retain old glass. There is a plan of High Bickington Rectory of c.1600 in Devon Record office which shows an extensive range of buildings around 2 courtyards. However, it is not clear whether Beechwood House (the old rectory) stands on the site of the building shown in the c.1600 drawing. The rectory on this site appears to have been superseded by another rectory (q.v.), also an early C19 building, in the village (now itself superseded by a late C20 rectory). Kelly's Directory of 1837 refers to High Bickington Rectory as "... a substantial modern residence, with well-wooded grounds [which] stands on an eminence overlooking the Taw Valley, which affords an extensive view of the beautiful scenery of the neighbourhood." Although this description might be of the former rectory in the village the reference to "well-wooded grounds" suggests it is of this house, i.e. Beechwood House. The house stands in small wooded landscaped grounds including a wooden-balustraded terrace overlooking the view to the north and garden walls (q.v.) to the south. This is a well-detailed and largely unaltered example of an early C19 rectory, particulary notable for the use of horns (although small) on the upper leaves of the principal glazing bar sash windows at such an early date. Sources: Kelly's Directory of Devonshire and Cornwall (1883), p.47; Devon Record Office; Post Office Director of Devonshire (1866), p.723.

Listing NGR: SS6097420207

External Links

• Wikidata Q26612069

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