Description
Two storey single pile three cell house with wall above cross-passage entrance slightly recessed. Single storey addition on north end, with further lean-to on this. Single ridge roof, continuous over north extensions but with slightly lower ridge and full hip over Workshop, continued down as catslide over north lean-to. Half-hip at south end. Small gablet connects with front stack. Rear stair turret with flattened south end. Small gablet connects with front stack. Rear stair turret with flattened roof-pitch similar to that of house, large raked dormer window. North of turret and around its curve a modern lean-to with shallow pitch roof.
Three stacks, one front lateral, external, with rear bake oven; one axial at north end of house and the third on the south end, slightly forward of the ridge line and mainly internal.
Roof of house thatch, continued over north extensions. Re-ridged in late 1992. Stair turret part thatched, tiled on flatter area above window. Kitchen lean-to double roman tiles. Bathroom and lobby lean-to double roman tiles with flatter leaded area below stair turret window. Porch over back door single course of tiles supported by rubble stone pillars. Bake oven slate.
Walls to front limewashed random rubble stone with tar band, two breaks apparent on front wall where outbuildings have been added on later. Walls lower to north of front door. South side roughly coursed rubble stone, no limewash, stack apparently added on. North limewashed random rubble stone. Rear random rubble stone, no break apparent and probably rebuilt. Timber lintel over very low Workshop door.
Probably originally an open hall roof from end to end. Smoke- blackened purlin towards the east end of the front pitch still survives. Smoke-blackened jointed cruck truss, and three rafters in the rear pitch survive, the latter are now badly decayed.
Late 15c/ early 16c three room cross-passage open hall house, with open hearth in hall ( northern part of living room) and smoke drifting up to and out through thatched roof, shown by remaining smoke blackened jointed cruck truss over lower room and remnant purlins and rafters. Rooms divided by head-height wooden screens ( one removed from south side of cross-passage in 1970's). Front doorway to cross-passage with large oak jambs, morticed and tenoned at apex of gothic arch.
Fireplace built in late 16c on front wall of hall with external stack. First floor inserted, supported by beams, and rear stair turret added giving access to first floor. In the 18c stack built in south wall of house, heating inner room ( south part of living room) and possible bedroom H above. Single storey outbuilding added at north end, hip of house roof removed and roof extended along to full hip at north end. This opened up the ( possibly unused) space under the house hip to the outbuilding, this area does not seem to have been taken back into the house and has probably served for storage of apples, garden produce or hay and straw, depending on the use of the outbuilding and the needs of the tenants. Lean-to Store may have been added ( 1809 Holnicote Estate map not clear).
Rear outshut added with catslide roof early 19c, butting on to south side of spiral stairs. Lean-to Store added to north end of Workshop, if not already there. Shown on the 1841 Porlock Tithe map, as is the Woodshed and Privy. Oven probably added to rear of front stack mid 19c, built of brick so this may be late. Door 19c. Exterior of oven, stone and slate, not datable. Alternatively, as a rear oven could be 16c/17c.
Rear lean-to added mid/ late 19c behind and to the north of the stair turret, used as a wash-house with set-pan copper in northeast corner. Tiled floor added to cross-passage. Circa 1968 back door access rebuilt behind stair turret, kitchen in former wash-room converted to bathroom and lavatory and store and lavatory made into kitchen. Brown rock asphalt floors put in ground floor, except cross-passage. Wrought iron rail added to stairs in turret. In the 1970s plank and muntin screen on south side of cross-passage removed and present partition built ( personal comment by Mr Dorrill). Probable that partition dividing inner room from hall, to produce present living room, removed at same time ( partition present on 1968 plans ( no. 265 held in Estate Office, with rear corridor linking cross-passage to Store).
Important Features:
External appearance with thatched roof dipping to north over adjoining former livestock shelter.
Projecting semicircular front bake oven and chimney with round upper.
15c plan of former medieval open hall with smoke blackened roof trusses and rafters.
15c massive gothic arched front door jambs giving access to cross-passage, with large ( probably 19c) door.
Late 16c beams in dining room with large chamfer and remains of step-runout stops.
Late 16c rear external stair turret with spiral stairs, possibly stone.
Large open rubble stone fireplace with squared stone jambs.
Bottle-shaped brick oven with metal door ( 19c).
In a good state of repair, thatch recently renovated.
Outbuildings:
Workshop, former stable: Single storey hipped outbuilding on northwest end of house. Thatch roof with hip running down over Lean-to Store. Walls rubble stone, mainly waterworn and roughly coursed in lower layers but randomly laid higher up. Timber lintels. The building appears to be shown on the 1809 Holnicote Estate map. On the 1841 Porlock Tithe map the house and orchard are listed together ( no. 135) and the shop and garden ( no. 136). Both were held by Edward Morrell. On the 1876 map the house is given alone, with the shop and garden linked; they were held by Francis Floyde. The shop seems to have survived for 35 years, further research is needed to find out when it started and ceased trading. Important features: external appearance, visually an integral part of main house; roof trusses; stable doors. In a good state of repair.
Lean-to Store: Lean-to on north wall of above with two doors on north side. Under catslide roof continued down from Workshop. Thatch roof over walls of rubble stone, mainly waterworn with some green, larger and roughly squared in quoins. Late 18c/ early 19c, added to Workshop by 1841 ( Tithe map), possibly already there in 1809 but the Estate map is not clear enough to be sure. Probably used as stabling during the 19c when Workshop was a shop. Important features: external appearance, visually an integral part of the main house; cobbled floors; plank doors. In a good state of repair.
Woodshed and former Privy: Small outbuildings of rubble stone with ridged roof and gables. Roof of double roman tiles with matching ridge. Walls of rubble stone, squared off at quoins. Early 19c, shown on the 1841 Porlock Tithe map. Important features: external appearance, part of the essential 19c provision for the house; cobbled floor of woodshed. In a good state of repair.
Garage: Timber built as lean-to against section of three metre wall which continues at same height beyond present building as boundary to Holmhurst. Roof single pitch, double roman tiles with matching ridge and single course overlapping wall. South wall stone, others horizontal overlapping creosoted boards. The present modern timber structure appears to replace an earlier stone building ( shown on the 1889 OS first edition 1:2,500 map and enlarged on the 1903 second edition - Somerset sheet XXXIV.7) the south wall of which still survives. In a good state of repair.
Garden Store: Lean-to on rear ( southeast) wall of Threshing Barn ( Bossington Barns). Roof triple V tiles over walls arranged in "hit and miss" style. Not shown on the 1903 2nd edition 1:2,500 Somerset sheet XXXIV.2 but marked on the 1929 revised second edition. Very overgrown and in a poor state of repair.
Garden Shed: Lean-to building, corrugated roof over walls of horizontal boards. Not shown on the 1903 2nd edition 1:2,500 Somerset sheet XXXIV.2 but marked on the 1929 revised 2nd edition. Very overgrown and in poor repair. (1)
The house was recorded as part of the Holnicote Estate Survey in 2001 and is described as 'three room cross-passage late medieval house, extended to the north in the 18c, thatched with rendered cob and rubble stone walls. Front stack, near stair turret and first floor added in the late16c-early 17c. Bake oven dates to the19c. Massive gothic arched front cross-passage door jambs survive and one smoke blackened jointed cruck truss, with some front and rear purlins and a few rafters in the rear pitch also blackened, from the medieval open hall house. The north extension was used as a shop, and has never been divided into two floors. A lean-to stable/stockhouse is under the catslide roof at the north end'. [2]