Description

WELCOMBE WELCOMBE
SS 21 NE

7/202 Welcombe Barton including
front garden wall to east

GV II

Farmhouse. Circa early C17, probably a remodelling of an earlier house, with
C18 alterations and additions. Local slate rubble, partly rendered at the rear
(west). Scantle slate roof with gabled and half-hipped ends. Stone rubble
stacks, the axial stack has a rendered shaft and the gable end stable has a
rebuilt stone rubble shaft. Plan: As it stands the house is L-shaped on plan.
The main front range has a 2 room plan, an unheated room (now kitchen) at the
lower left (south) end with a doorway at the front through a 2-storey porch, the
hall to the right heated from an axial stack (with an oven) at its lower left
end and with a shallow bay at the front with a small unheated closet between the
bay and the porch. Behind the hall there is a parlour wing with a gable end
stack. Behind the kitchen a dairy outshut and between the dairy and the parlour
wing there is a stair tower. This plan appears to be the result of a major
early C17 remodelling and C18 improvements. The house is probably of medieval
origins and at least the hall would have been open to the roof. The hall seems
to have been served by a stack whilst still open to the roof. The major early
C17 remodelling involved the raising of the eaves flooring the hall and adding a
shallow bay and small unheated closet (possibly originally a stair turret) in
front of the hall and the addition of a 2 storey porch in front of the cross-
passage. The 2-storey parlour wing is also an early C17 addition. It is uncer-
tain when the lower left end room was reduced and when the partition on the left
hand side of the cross-passage was removed. The dairy outshut behind the lower
end appears to be earlier than the C18 stair tower which was built in the space
between the outshut and the parlour wing. The house was also improved in the
C18 for much of the internal joinery is of that date. Exterior: 2 storeys.
Asymmetrical 3-window each front with large projecting 2-storey porch to left of
centre with a segmental timber lintel to the doorway and C19 panelled inner
door; C20 casement to chamber above the porch. To right of porch a C19 2-light
casement with glazing bars on the ground floor and a blocked window and C20
casement above. To left of porch a C20 casement on the ground floor and C20
12-pane sash above. The right hand (north) side has circa early C19 2-light
12-pane sashes on the ground floor and large C20 casement above. The rear
elevation is rendered and has various C20 casements and sashes. Including front
garden area wall adjoining each of house; probably C18. Coloured slate rubble
with cement capping. A low thick wall enclosing a small rectangular garden area
and pathway to the porch of the house. Interior: The hall's main ceiling beam
is unchamfered but the beam to the large bay at the front is ovolo moulded with
bar stops. There is also an ovolo moulded beam set in the chimney-breast over
the fireplace which has a plain chamfered timber lintel with straight cut stops
and an oven in the back. Under the north window of the hall the old bench
survives and in the west wall there are 2 cupboards, one with ventilation
slits. To the side of the fireplace there is a C29 settle with a tall curved
back containing a cupboard. The parlour in the rear (west) wing has an
unchamfered cross-beam hacked for plaster and a fireplace with an chamfered
timber lintel with ogee stops and dressed stone jambs, but no oven. The parlour
has C18 dado panelling. The kitchen has a chamfered axial beam and half-beam
with straight cut stops and a small window to the dairy at the back with a cham-
fered frame and a stanchion bar. Inside the front doorway in the kitchen a
lobby had been created which has some old wooden hat pegs. The dairy has slate
shelves and a brick floor. the hall's floor is slate. The C18 dog-leg stair-
case has a closed string, square newels with moulded caps, moulded handrail and
closely-spaced stick balusters. On the first floor there are many C18 2-panel
doors. The doorway to the small chamber over the porch has a chamfered frame
with ogee stops; the porch chamber has a section of early C17 moulded plaster
frieze decorated with a trailing plant and rosettes. The roof space was not
available for inspection (March 1988) but the fact of the principals exposed on
the first floor appear to be straight.

Listing NGR: SS2296118346

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26617915

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

• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)