BUILDING RECORDING IN 2008
SOMERSET VERNACULAR BUILDING RESEARCH GROUP
INTRODUCTION Figures open in separate window here
The Group’s tenth village study – Traditional Buildings in the Parish of Combe St Nicholas – was published in 2008. The parish is situated in the south of the county, close to the Devon border and lies in a particularly interesting area. To the west in Devon the landscape is characterised by dispersed individual farmsteads and hamlets, while to the east in central and south-east Somerset nucleated villages developed. Combe St Nicholas shows a combination of both these settlement patterns. Recording work had already begun in the parish of Stogursey, but has increased this year with more volunteer surveyors. As will be seen from the summaries below, some unusual plan forms have been revealed, which are rare if not unique in Somerset. Also the careful study of documentary records has helped to inform the interpretation of the building surveys. This has included the transcription and analysis of probate records, together with an ongoing study of the documentation and the fabric of the church. In addition to the systematic village recording, a number of individual buildings in other parts of the county have been surveyed. As always, the Group is indebted to the owners and occupiers of the various properties for their generosity in allowing access. Copies of the full SVBRG reports and survey drawings have been deposited in the County Record Office and the National Monuments Record at Swindon. John Rickard took the photographs reproduced below, with the exception of those of Bow Mill, Merriott, which were taken by Martin Watts.
SURVEYS Figures open in separate window here
Ashbrittle, Court Place ST054214
This house was recorded by SVBRG in 1999, but various features have since been uncovered necessitating a revision of the original report. Until 1999, it was part of a substantial farmstead, details of which appeared in the original report. The house is of two storeys with three rooms in line and a cross-passage. Additional rooms under three later gables project to the rear (north) and a late kitchen/bake-house, with curing chamber, projects at the north-west corner. The proportions and structural details suggest that the house was of gentry status. The roof is comprised of six side-pegged jointed-cruck trusses with cambered collars, diagonally-set ridge-piece, three tiers of purlins and two tiers of curved wind-braces. All the timbers are smoke blackened throughout. A comparison of this roof with other similar dendro-dated examples, suggests a date in the 15th or 16th century. Despite the recent discoveries, the exact interpretation remains uncertain. However, in the 16th century it is thought that the use of the rooms was reversed – the service room being moved to the west end and the parlour to the east. Ceiling beams and a first floor were inserted together with fireplaces and stacks. The siting of a fireplace at the upper end of the hall is unusual in Somerset plan forms. The house presents a number of features, in particular the paired round-headed doorways, which are exceptional and appear to be without parallel in Somerset. The three gables and a turret stairs were added in the 18th century and further changes took place in the 19th century, when the house became the centre of a large farmstead.
Crewkerne, South Street, No. 20 ST44210955
The house appears to date from the early 17th century and then comprised a service room/kitchen, cross-passage, hall and an inner room, perhaps a parlour or bedroom. For some reason – perhaps as the result of a fire – the presumed large fireplace, which would have been in the gable end of the kitchen, was demolished together with the end of the front wall. It was rebuilt with a different window arrangement and to compensate for the loss of the kitchen a two-storey rear (south) wing was added, probably incorporating a dairy and cheese room. These changes probably took place in the late 17th century. The roof was raised in the 19th century and a further addition was built at the back.
East Lambrook, Silver Street, Pittard’s Farmhouse ST43291875
The house has an L-shaped plan and originally comprised kitchen, hall and a central unheated service room. The features suggest an early 17th century date. The east wing appears to have been added in the late 17th century, perhaps as a dairy/cheese-room with cheese loft over. Up-grading in the late 18th century involved the building of a three-storey bay at the east gable, necessitating the re-siting of the fireplace and stack. The end room then became the parlour and a staircase was built in the former service room. At the same time the roof over the main range was rebuilt using king-post trusses. The decline in cheese making in the 20th century allowed the rear room to be used for general domestic purposes.
High Ham, Henley, Henley Farm ST428323
The house (Fig. 1), which was formerly part of a farmstead, comprises three rooms in line with a cross-passage. On the evidence of the details of the roof construction and the smoke-blackened timbers it is probable that this was a single-storey, late-medieval open-hall house. The roof has five equally spaced jointed-cruck trusses, one with carpenter’s marks. A 15th century date is suggested based on comparisons with similar trusses which have been dendro-dated elsewhere in the county. The walls may originally have been entirely of cob and the thatched roof is likely to have been hipped at both ends. The details of the beams and the stops on the chamfers indicate that a first floor was inserted about 1600. Heart-shaped stops (Fig. 2) were used on the beams in the main rooms and simpler step and run-out stops in the dairy, cross-passage and the kitchen. The fireplaces and stacks were also inserted at this time, as were dormer windows at the level of the eaves. The house then comprised a hall, heated inner room, dairy, cross-passage and kitchen. Post and panel partitions were erected on the first floor to create smaller rooms. Perhaps in the 18th century the east end of the roof was raised and dormer windows inserted. The cob walls may have been replaced or refaced using local lias. Possibly at the same time, the house was divided into two dwellings. In the early 19th century the ancillary buildings – cider house (formerly with an apple-loft above, now gone), threshing barn (complete with surviving wooden plank threshing floor) and wagon house – were built together with lean-to additions at the front. Stables and cow-sheds were built on the opposite side on the road. The house reverted to one dwelling in the 20th century.
Merriott, Bow Mill ST458134
The mill and attached mill house (Fig, 3) stand in an isolated position near the eastern boundary of the parish. The mill-leat is fed by a stream rising to the south-west of Merriott village and after passing through the mill flows into the River Parrett. The history of the mill is described in volume IV of the Victoria History of Somerset (1978). The house is of two storeys, L-shaped in plan and the front range is of two units, hall and kitchen, with a central cross-passage. Based upon the plan-form and details of the beams and doorway, it appears to date from the mid-16th century. The east wing may also date from this period, but was up-graded or extended in the 17th century. A new staircase hall was created and the present stairs built in the late 18th century. At the rear, a bake-house and malt-house, including a large drying kiln, was in existence by c. 1800. A fire in 1862 appears not to have affected the main house but was confined to the bake-house, flour loft and kiln, as the upper part of that building was removed altogether. The mill machinery is the subject of a separate detailed report by Martin Watts. In summary, his conclusions are that the machinery of Bow Mill represents an important survival as it is largely intact. There is documentation for the supply and installation of the waterwheel (Fig. 4) by Coombs of Beaminster, Dorset, in 1849-50 and it is of interest that the water feed arrangement was upgraded, perhaps in the 1880s. In addition, some parts of the machinery are older, probably late 18th or early 19th century. The arrangement is fairly conventional with three pairs of millstones (Fig. 5). The survival of two ancillary machines for producing animal feed, the completeness of the millstone furniture and the survival of some artefacts associated with stone milling are also considered important.
Montacute, The Borough, No. 17, The Milk House ST498169
The house stands at the junction of The Borough and South Street with the principal entry in The Borough. Prior to the 20th century it was a farmhouse – probably Borough Farm. The two-storey front range comprises a central entry with one room either side, but it is thought that formerly the east end of the adjoining Caundle Cottage had been part of this property. The south wing has two rooms. The surviving details of the main range suggest that it may date from the early 16th century. As there is no smoke-blackening, it is likely to have had a fireplace with lateral stack from the start. The walls and roof were raised in the late 16th century, when the plan comprised a kitchen, cross-passage, hall and inner room (now part of Caundle Cottage). Substantial rebuilding took place in the mid-17th century, and in the early 18th century the south wing was added. This may have included a dairy with cheese-room and cheese-loft over and a cow byre, with the adjacent collecting yard, probably with cow sheds. The inscription ‘Milk House’ over a window on the east front was necessary during the period of the window tax (1696-1851) to exempt payment on that window.
Old Cleeve, Lower Washford, Huish Cottage, Osborne Cottage and Lilac Cottage ST048413
Originally one house, it is now divided into three properties. The smoke-blackened roof structure together with the jointed-cruck trusses indicate that the house was built early in the 15th century. It then comprised a four-bay open hall, a two-bay high end, possibly with a solar chamber over, and probably a four-bay low service end. The far end room may have been a byre or barn. Early in the 17th century the upper floors and staircase were inserted. At that time the plan probably comprised a hall, unheated inner room, cross-passage and kitchen. The south end room remained non-domestic. The north end may have become separate two-room houses or even used for some other (industrial?) purpose.
Somerton, Roche Bridge Cottage ST48452840
The house (Fig. 6) has an essentially rectangular plan comprised of three units with the southern part set at a slight angle. The misaligned unit is known to have been a stable in the 20th century, although now adapted as living accommodation. The earliest part of the house appears to date from around 1600, based upon the single surviving collar truss, and at that time probably comprised one room with gable entry. There is an outshut to the rear and a curing chamber is located next to the inglenook fireplace. A second room was probably added in the mid-17th century. It appears that for a period the house was divided into two dwellings.
Somerton, Sutton Road, Springfield Farm ST482281
The house (Fig. 7) is of two storeys with three rooms in line and a cross-passage. A date in the late 16th century is suggested by the thickness of the walls and details of a fireplace and the poor quality roof over the hall. The roof, with tie and collar trusses, over the rest indicates that the house was up-graded later, perhaps in the early 17th century. Adjacent to the kitchen fireplace are the remnants of a substantial curing chamber and what may have been a small corn-drying kiln, perhaps converted to an oven. It is likely that the walls and roof were raised in the late 19th century and part of the front wall re-faced. It is probable that the south-east wing – formerly farm buildings, a barn and cider house – was added at about this time. This wing has since been incorporated into the house.
Stogursey, Burton, Burton Farm & No. 2 ST194441
These two premises adjoin The Croft and formerly were part of a farmstead. The two-storey main block probably dates from the late 18th century and has a range of rooms in line, with a stair turret and outshuts at the rear. Originally it comprised a parlour, living room, kitchen, scullery/dairy and service room. The accommodation abutting the road reverted to single storey when used as a Post Office in the 20th century.
Stogursey, Burton, Chilcot Acre ST194440
The main two-storey block comprises three rooms in line, with a south wing and additions on the north side. It appears to date from the early 17th century and then comprised a hall and unheated inner room. Access to the first floor was by a winding stair next to the fireplace with an oven under. A third room was added early in the 18th century, possibly as a separate dwelling. In 1885 the house was up-graded by raising the roof and ceilings and installing larger windows.
Stogursey, Burton, Culver Street Farm ST189438
The house was built c.1600 and then comprised three units – hall, central service room and kitchen. The front entrance was into a lobby and there was access to the service room from the rear. The kitchen fireplace was probably flanked by a curing chamber and oven, possible with stone stairs over. A two-storey, single-room addition was built in the mid-17th century, but its original use is not clear. The main front range of the house was substantially altered early in the 19th century, when the present internal layout was established, and the roof rebuilt, perhaps as the result of a fire. A two-storey north wing was added in the mid-19th century. The house is the centre of an extensive farmstead, which includes stables, granary, lean-to cart-shed, stock shed, bull-box, linhay, barn and dairy.
Stogursey, Burton, Knighton Farm ST194445
The house is of two storeys, three rooms and a cross-passage in line and a two-storey rear wing. An original building date in the early 14th century is suggested by the form of the apex of the roof trusses (based on their similarity with dendro-dated examples found at Selworthy), when the house had a three-bay open hall. On the evidence of the later roof, the walls and roof were raised and upper floors inserted in the early 17th century. The plan then comprised an inner room, hall, cross-passage and kitchen, which contained an oven and possibly a curing chamber. The south front and parts of the east end were rebuilt in the late 18th century and probably at the same time the rear wing was added perhaps as a dairy/cheese-room and cheese-loft. A lean-to addition in the 19th century includes the present stairs. An adjacent two-storey, two-room building was built in the 17th century, probably for domestic use, but has served a number of uses including as a grain store. The associated farmstead includes a stable block, granary, cowshed, linhay and small stable. Extensive documentation survives in the Somerset Record Office.
Stogursey, Church Street, No. 1, Harford House ST205429
The house is L-shaped in plan and of varying phases. It appears that the corner room is the remnant of a mid-17th century house of perhaps yeoman or lesser-gentry status. The north wing may be of 18th century date but there is no firm evidence. The roof structure of the east wing suggests that it may have been added at the beginning of the 19th century, and from documentary evidence it appears to have been a doctor’s surgery. The ancillary buildings in the yard may also be of that date.
Stogursey, High Street, No. 8 ST203428
This house together with its neighbours in Lime Street was largely destroyed by fire in 1998 (see also below). It comprises a single ground-floor room with an outshut under a cat-slide roof. Probably it dates from early in the 17th century and the front wall and roof were raised in the 19th century.
Stogursey, High Street, No. 16, Post Office ST203429
The two-storey, double-pile plan was probably a pair of cottages dating from the early 19th century, with two rooms on the ground floor and adjacent through passages (Fig. 8). The cart-way gave access to a courtyard with service buildings. The cottages were combined in the mid-19th century, when rear additions were built and the eastern through passage was built over. In the 20th century the Post Office accommodation has taken up the ground floor of the west cottage and the front room of the eastern one.
Stogursey, High Street, No. 18 ST20254290
The house has a rhomboidal plan having been built between two other buildings (Fig. 9). Originally it was a two-room plan with a single-storey rear outshut dating from the 17th century. At two periods in the 19th century, the front was raised and a new roof constructed, followed by the addition of an upper floor to the rear outshut.
Stogursey, High Street, No. 23, Stone Cottage
It appears that the original house had a two-room, gable entry plan (including part of what is now the adjoining property) (Fig. 10). The evidence of surviving details indicates a date in the 16th century and it appears to have been of some quality. In the mid 18th century it was extended to the east with a cross-passage and service room, and later additions to the rear.
Stogursey, High Street, No. 58 ST20104295
The house has a rectangular plan and central entry with the principal rooms facing the street (Fig. 11). The rear extends under a cat-slide roof and there is a range of outbuildings along the western boundary. The roof structure, proportions and details indicate a date at the end of the 18th century or beginning of the 19th century. In the 20th century the cat-slide roof was modified to allow the insertion of a first floor over the rear rooms.
Stogursey, High Street, No. 72, Christmas Cottage ST201429
The house has a double-fronted double-pile plan with additions at the rear. The sparse details suggest that it dates from the beginning of the 19th century, but the plan at that time is not clear. The 1841 Tithe Map shows the site occupied by one building, but the 1887 O.S. map shows the house divided centrally.
Stogursey, Lime Street, No. 2 ST203428
This two-storey house has a single ground-floor room with an outshut under a cat-slide roof. No internal features survive as, together with its neighbours, it was badly damaged by fire in 1998 and has been restored. However, it is likely to be of a similar age to other houses in the block, which date from early in the 17th century. The front wall and roof may have been raised in the 19th century.
Stogursey, Lime Street, No.4 ST203428
The house comprises a single ground-floor room with an outshut under a cat-slide roof, dating from the early 17th century. Like its neighbour (above) it was severely damaged by fire in 1998.
Stogursey, Lime Street, No. 24, Darley House ST203430
The surviving structural evidence is sparse, but it is conjectured that originally the property was probably of two storeys with a two-room plan, comprising a living room and scullery/service room, dating from the late 18th century. The presence of some thicker walls may indicate that there was an earlier building on the site. The bay window on the west front is thought to be associated with the use of the house as a barber’s shop in the 20th century.
Stogursey, St Andrew’s Road, No. 2, Cross Cottages Nos 1 & 2 ST202429
The houses (Fig. 12) are conjoined and attached to No. 1 St Andrew’s Road, and comprise four rooms in line. The jointed-cruck truss together with the half-pyramid stops on the beams indicate that Cottage No. 1 probably dates from the late 15th or early 16th century. It then comprised a hall and unheated inner room, with a turret stair. In addition, the numbering of the carpenters’ marks shows that there would have been three further bays to the south, presumably including a cross-passage and service room. Details of the hall fireplace suggest a 17th century date, which probably indicates that it replaced a timber fire-hood. By the time of the 1841 Tithe Map, the property had been divided into two, and the 1886 O.S. map shows it further divided into four single-room units, each with a rear outshut. It reverted to two dwellings in the 20th century.
Stogursey, St Andrew’s Road, No. 17, Darch House ST203428
The front two-unit range was built in the early 17th century and then comprised hall and unheated service room. A two-storey rear addition and wing were added c.1800 (the two-storey part indicated as non-domestic on the 1841 Tithe Map). By 1861 the front service room had been converted into a shop.
Stogursey, Shurton, Ash Cottage & Little Ash ST199440
The main range has four rooms in line with a north wing. Based on the details of the closed jointed-cruck truss and the ceiling beams of the hall, the house appears to date from c.1500 (by comparison with similar dendro-dated examples). Then it comprised an unheated inner room, hall and kitchen, and there is no indication of a partition between passage and kitchen. There was a heated chamber over the inner room and a chamber over the hall, but the kitchen appears to have been open to the roof. This arrangement is unusual in Somerset, but has been found elsewhere in Stogursey parish. In the mid-16th century, a two-storey unit was added to the west gable, possibly as a separate dwelling. The north wing was added c.1600 and includes an elaborate plaster over-mantel in the first-floor chamber. At this time, an upper floor was inserted over the kitchen and the front elevation was re-fenestrated. The house had been divided into two dwellings by the time of the 1841 Census.
Stogursey, Shurton, Fisher’s ST201443
Based on the details of the beams and roof structure, a late 16th century date is suggested. Then it comprised a hall with the stack backing onto a cross-passage, and a service room, the latter probably with a timber fire-hood and curing chamber. This plan form is relatively rare in Somerset (although Myrtle Farm, Shurton, is another example – see ‘Building Recording in 2007’, SANHS Proceedings, 151 (2008)). However, the presence of a closed truss over the kitchen is an anomaly and it is possible that there may have been an earlier plan form. Two small spice cupboards (Fig. 13) next to the hall fireplace are an interesting survival. In the 17th century, a stone stack was inserted within the fire-hood, and in the 18th century the west end was extended. The barn (now a dwelling, Brookside) and the lean-to additions were added at this time. The walls, roof and windows were raised in the mid-20th century (Fig. 14).
Stogursey, Shurton, Grove House ST20274420
The house (Fig. 15) is essentially a two-room plan with entrance and stairs between, built in the late 18th century – possibly in 1782, when the owner George Grove paid Land Tax. Two rooms were added in a single storey at the rear, possible at differing times, but shortly after the original build. A further lean-to was added later to the east.
Stogursey, Shurton, Old Mill House ST206441
The main range comprises four rooms in line with an addition at the end (Fig. 16). The original house, probably dating from the mid-16th century, comprised a hall with a small unheated inner room, with entry in the then north gable end. A single unit was added c.1600 as a hall/kitchen and the original rooms were combined and up-graded to become a parlour. A fourth room was added in the 19th century as a working kitchen. Later the house was divided into two. The far end addition was originally open, but incorporated into the house in 1993. An associated cider house was sited across the yard. The attached mill is situated on the Stogursey Brook to the east of Shurton. No remnants of the mill machinery survive and the whole has been converted to domestic use. The history of the ownership is recorded in the Victoria History of Somerset, volume VI (1992).
Stogursey, Shurton, Shurton Cottage ST200141
The house is of two storeys and one room with additions. On the evidence of the original roof construction it was open from the ground floor to the roof, allowing the smoke to percolate through the thatch. Based on tree-ring dating of similar roofs in Somerset, it appears to date from the 15th century. An upper floor was inserted in the second half of the 16th century and the ground floor then comprised two rooms, one unheated, with the entrance in the east gable. In c.1800 the adjacent Shurton House (see below) was built and this house was retained as its kitchen. The property was divided in the mid-20th century.
Stogursey, Shurton, Shurton Court, No. 2 ST200442
This building is attached to the much larger 18th-century Shurton (Court) House and has been much altered. Although the evidence is not conclusive, a 15th century date is suggested (which is supported by the documentary evidence, Victoria History of Somerset, volume VI (1992)). The thickness of the walls and the details of the remnants of the arch-braced trusses, together with the degree of smoke-blackening, suggests that part had been the north end of an open hall house. Also there are indications that there had been a solar chamber above this part and that the remainder of the earlier house was to the south (now the site of Shurton House). An interesting feature of the fireplace is a semi-circular cut-away portion of the bressummer, which might suggest that a spit dog-wheel or a spit-jack had been located here. In the early/mid 17th century, a two-storey west wing was added. A new south front of five bays replaced the original south end to form a large, double-pile house in the late 18th century.
Stogursey, Shurton, Shurton House ST200141
The two-storey house comprising two rooms, cross-passage and outshuts was built c.1800 adjoining Shurton Cottage (see above), which was converted into its kitchen. On the Tithe Map of 1841 it is shown as one property, called Shurton Court Farm, with a holding of just over 91 acres. Additions were made in the mid-20th century and the property was probably divided at that time.
Stogursey, Shurton, The Shurton Inn ST20443
The front range appears to have been built c.1600 and then comprised the hall, unheated inner room, cross-passage and kitchen with curing chamber. The Tithe Map of 1841 shows that a wing at the rear had been added, perhaps as a service room. In 1862 it became an inn (Victoria History of Somerset, volume VI (1992)) (Fig. 17) and at about that time the roof was raised and further lean-to additions built.
Stogursey, Shurton, Shurton Lodge & The Cottage ST201441
The front range probably dates from the late 17th or early 18th century and then comprised living room, service room and kitchen, all with chambers above. Two of the bedrooms contain contemporary painted over-mantels depicting Arcadian scenes. The east wing may have been a detached service room and the barn may have been built at this time. Lean-to additions were built at the back c.1800. The house was up-graded in the mid-19th century, including the insertion of bay windows, the creation of a parlour and a new stair turret. The adjoining cottage may have been built c.1800 as a two-unit dwelling, perhaps to accommodate a farm worker. Later it is said to have been used as a cider cellar.
Stogursey, Stolford, Chalcott Farm ST234448
The house has two distinct parts. The main range, aligned north/south is of two storeys and has been much altered internally and now comprises three units plus a single-storey wing. The other part is a two-storey south wing. Surviving evidence suggests a late 16th century date, when the house comprised a kitchen, central unheated service room and hall. The kitchen may originally have been open to the roof with the fire being contained within a smoke-bay. In the early 17th century, a fireplace and stack replaced the smoke-bay, including a malting kiln and curing chamber, and an upper floor was inserted over the kitchen. A room at the rear with a loft may have been added at this time. A probate inventory of 1731/2 reveals that the occupier, William Burnoll, was a comparatively prosperous yeoman farmer. The two-unit south wing, comprising a kitchen and parlour with chambers over, was added at the beginning of the 19th century. The house was the centre of a large farmstead, which includes a threshing barn, lean-to pigsty and log store, carthorse stable, granary, horse-engine shed, trap-house and stable, a range of linhays and a garden building.
Stogursey, Stolford, D’Arches ST233458
On the evidence of the jointed-cruck trusses and the half-pyramidal beam stops, a mid-16th century date is suggested, when the house comprised a hall, an unheated inner room and kitchen. The kitchen may not then have had an upper floor (see Ash Cottage, above) and there may have been a smoke-hood or smoke bay rather than a stone stack. In the late 16th century an upper floor was inserted over the kitchen and the cross-passage defined by a partition. A small room adjacent to the kitchen appears to have been added in the late 16th century. A room of approximately this size and location in relation to the kitchen is unusual, but has been found at Zine Farm, Stolford (see ‘Building Recording in 2007’, SANHS Proceedings, 151 (2008)). It had been thought that these rooms may have been used as dairies or butteries, but whereas that interpretation may be relevant for later periods it has been noted that a 17th-century probate inventory for D’Arches provides another possibility. Thomas Bartlett was the occupier in 1645 and there is a reference to quantities of wool and woollen cloth, so it is possible that this room was used for spinning and weaving, with a loft over for storage of cloth.
Stogursey, Stolford, The Fisheries ST228456
The house is part of what had been a small hamlet of farmhouses and fishermen’s cottages close to the shore of the Bristol Channel. It comprises two rooms, originally a kitchen/living room and service room, with an outshut on the north side. The sparse structural evidence suggests a 17th century date. The outshut was added in the mid-19th century, probably to process fish. The ancillary buildings, such as the shrimp house and stable, may also be of that date.
Stogursey, Stolford, Little Dowdens Farmhouse ST227457
The house comprises two rooms – hall and kitchen – with a central cross-passage and probably dates from the late 16th century. Originally there may have been a buttery, now gone. An addition at the rear may have been made later in the 17th century, possibly as a dairy or workroom.
Stogursey, Stolford, Sea Findings ST230458
The house originally comprised two units with chambers over and dates from c.1600. The date-stone, ‘1708’, on the south front indicates that there were changes at that time, which may have involved substantial rebuilding, including the addition of an extra room at the west end. A single-storey unit was added early in the 19th century as a workshop. Substantial renovation and modernisation took place in the mid-20th century.
Stogursey, Stolford, Stolford Farmhouse ST233458
Based on the remains of two jointed-cruck trusses and other details, such as the half-pyramid stop on the hall fireplace, a late 15th century date is suggested. The house than comprised the hall, unheated inner room, cross-passage and kitchen, all with first-floor inter-communicating chambers. There appears to have been a small room with loft over, adjacent to the kitchen – a similar feature has been found at Zine Farm and D’Arches (Farm) nearby and which may be associated with spinning/weaving (see above under D’Arches). The hall fireplace shows some evidence of once having had a spit-jack. The kitchen fireplace has a deep inglenook with remains of a baking oven, summer oven, brick-built copper boiler and a curing chamber. Early in the 17th century the house was up-graded, when the walls and roof were raised, new stairs installed and a wood-lined spice cupboard fitted adjacent to the hall fireplace.
Stogursey, Stolford, Sunshine Cottage (formerly Burnt House) ST212449
This is a two-unit house with central entry and appears to date from the late 18th century. Originally it comprised a living room and service room. An addition to the service room was probably single storey, raised to match the main house in the 20th century.
Thurloxton, Knotcroft Lane, Nos 51 & 52 ST277302
Originally these properties were one house, comprising three units with a cross-passage and east wing. It appears to date from c.1600, based on the evidence of the roof and details of the beams, and then comprised a kitchen, with curing chamber, cross-passage, hall and unheated inner room. The wing was perhaps a dairy and cheese-loft. At the end of the 17th century or early 18th century the house was up-graded and then divided into two in the mid-19th century.
West Monkton, Blundell’s Farm ST262279
On the evidence of the wall thickness and the smoke-blackened roof timbers, it is considered that the house (Fig. 18) was originally of late medieval build, probably in the mid-15th century (based on similar dendro-dated examples). It had then a single-storey open hall with a jointed-cruck roof, but the full extent of the building cannot be determined from the surviving evidence. However, it is likely to have comprised a service room, two-bay hall, and perhaps another room at the east end. In the mid-16th century, fireplaces, stacks and a first floor were inserted. Then the house comprised a kitchen, cross-passage, hall and an unheated inner room. In the third quarter of the 19th century a south wing was added, perhaps as a parlour. This was demolished c.1900 and the house was extended to the east. The adjoining barn is built entirely of cob, so it is likely that the house also contains some cob.
West Pennard, Woodlands Road, Penwood Farm ST544371
The two-storey house with attics is detached and formerly was part of a farmstead (Fig. 19). It has a three-unit with cross-passage plan and a two-storey wing and lean-to additions. The proportions and details suggest that the occupier was of yeoman status. On the evidence of details and the roof structure, a late-16th century date is suggested. The house then comprised a kitchen with ovens and curing chamber, cross-passage, hall and inner room. An attic over the kitchen and cross-passage afforded servants’ accommodation as well as possibly being used as a cheese-loft for part of the year (this arrangement is similar to that at nearby West Town Farm, Baltonsborough). On the front elevation there is a date-stone for ‘1723’ indicating when the house was substantially up-graded: the walls and roof were raised, the east front re-fenestrated and a two-storey parlour wing added. In the 18th century there were further additions, including a dairy. By the time of the Tithe Apportionment (1841) the holding was a dairy farm with about 40 of a total of 42 acres being pasture, the remainder being cider orchards.
Winsham, East Whatley Farmhouse ST362069
The plan comprises three units and a cross-passage with two small lean-to additions. The jointed-cruck trusses together with the pyramidal stops on two half-beams in the hall indicate that the house probably dates from the late 15th century. It may then have been built principally of cob and comprised a hall open to the roof with a projecting jetty at the high end. As there does not appear to be smoke blackening (although there was limited access to the roof apex) it is likely that the hall was heated by a fireplace and the inner room and the solar chamber above were unheated. The north end service room may also have been open to the roof, divided from the cross-passage by a head-height partition, and there may have been a smoke-bay occupying the full width of the room. Early in the 16th century a first floor was inserted over the hall and an upper floor was inserted over the service end. At the same time winding stairs were built rising from the hall. The lean-to buttery may have been added at that time. Alterations in the 18th century included the addition of a dairy and the smoke-bay was replaced by a fireplace. The cob walls may have been clad externally with local chert. The adjoining cheese room and loft are also of this period, as are the threshing barn, stable and cart-shed.