Description

AWLISCOMBE GODFORD CROSS SY 10 SW

5/23 Godford Farmhouse and house - adjoining at the south

II

House, divided into 2. Late C17 or early C18 with later alterations, the south half said to have been restored in the 1950s after a period of dereliction. Flemish bond hand made brick on a stone rubble plinth, rendered on the south (left) part of the house; slate roof, hipped at ends; 2 axial brick stacks, axial stack to rear left wing. Plan: U plan: a single-depth east facing main range end on to the road, probably 3 rooms wide originally, with rear left (south-west) and right (north-west) wings at right angles. The late C17/early C18 plan was altered when the house was divided and there are various new partitions, but the original arrangement seems to have been 3 principal rooms in the main range with a rear left (south) service wing including the kitchen. The function of the unheated rear right (north) wing is unclear, it may have been a dairy. A peculiarity of the house is the existence of good quality moulded beams in both rear wings but not in the main range - perhaps the beams, which are incomplete, have been re-used from an earlier C17 house on the site. The present entrance is into the rear right wing, in the north side, this leads into an entrance hall containing the stair, the stair is said to have been turned through 90: A probably C19 or later outshut between the wings partly covers what was probably the original service yard between the wings. The house has been divided almost directly down the middle, cutting the centre rooms on the ground and first floor in half. Exterior: 2 storeys. The original symmetry of the east front has been slightly altered following the renovations to the south end but the original design is still clear. 7-bay front with left and right pilasters, the centre 3 bays broken forward. The left hand half of the front is, regrettably, rendered and the left hand bay of the centre 3 has been modified. 2-light C20 casement windows, the right hand windows timber with glazing bars, the left-hand 1950s metal windows with small panes. The right return (the north west wing, Godford Farmhouse) has a C20 door to the left flanked by 1-light windows with segmental arches. The brick lintels are machine-made and the doorway and windows may be a C19 alteration 3-light segmental arched window to the right with a probably C20 timber casement with glazing bars; 2 first floor 3- light casements with small panes, possibly C18. Interior: Both rear wings have richly moulded beams, originally part of intersecting beamed ceiling. Presumably these are re-used, perhaps reflecting the low status accorded to exposed carpentry when the house was built. 2 chamfered beams also survive in Godford Farmhouse, one to the rear wing and one to the stair hall. Godford Farmhouse also perserves a number of 2-panel doors, probably early C18, both on the ground and first floor. The fireplace of the centre room is in Godford Farmhouse, it has a cambered chamfered timber lintel. The stair has an open string, turned balusters and a flat handrail. It is also probably early C18 and now faces the entrance, it is said to have been moved. The attic in Godford Farmhouse (and possibly throughout the range) was formerly floored and has a substantial stair rising to it. Presumably it was used for storage or service accommodation. The adjoining house was a partly blocked fireplace with a chamfered lintel in the rear wing, this may be the original kitchen. Roof: A-frame trusses, halved at the apex, the collars nailed on to the principals. 3 large man-made pits survive on the farmstead which is very short of natural stone, (information from Mr Lawrence, the farmer), these may be brick pits. Early C18 or earlier brick houses are uncommon in Devon. Another, probably late C17 example survives in Awliscombe parish (Losses Farmhouse, q.v.). Group value with a brick stable to the north east.

Listing NGR: ST1288202213

External Links

• Wikidata Q26618485

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Recommended Books

• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
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  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)