Lower House, C16 Cross-Passage Farmhouse, Holnicote Estate

Summary

Thatched cottage with attached farm buildings, now one dwelling. Probably built as 16c/17c cross-passage house, with wing and adjacent farm buildings. Much altered to its present from in the early 19c.

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Description

Two storey irregularly shaped house, with left end a cross-wing and front right side a single cell wing with a two storey outbuilding butting onto the latter running north- northeast to the road, it has been partly ( ground floor) and completely ( first floor) taken into the house.

Roof continuous along left end and central block, with ridge forming L-shape from external axial stack on front of cross-wing to axial stack on right end of main part of house. Right wing roof lower, half hipped over outbuilding roof which is lower again, with ridge offset to north. Wing ridge running into main roof below end stack. Eaves of wing lower than house. Rear roof with full hip round southeast end of house, and raked dormer in rear pitch of cross-wing. Eaves higher than front. Stable butting onto northwest end of house, one and a half storey, with much lower ridge line, wing roof folding over the front pitch, kitchen lean-to on front, northeast wall. Short stack emerging from west corner of roof. Fenestration irregular, with raked dormers under tiled roof and thatch swept over front and side dormers. French doors on southeast elevation and bay window with hipped roof.

Porch single pitch over front door, supported by wall of cross- wing and post. Lean-to conservatory infills angle made by cross- wing on rear elevation. Northeast part of outbuilding butting on wing used as a garage.

Front of house and both wings thatched. Rear roof triple-v tiles with thatch wrapped over ridge and southeast corner. Walls of limewashed stone with black tar band.

The original house was probably set parallel to the road with the dining room as the hall, or central room, of a three cell cross-passage house. The passage would be where the entrance hall now is, and the lower room has been replaced by the early 19c cross-wing holding room ( now sitting room) and part of the hall. Living room, the northeast wing, has 0.18m hollow chamfers and is likely to be late 16c ( or possibly 17c), the house must have pre-dated it. The wing now overlaps the Stable, as this has the rear of the stack and two suggestive curves attached it is likely that the southeast end of the outbuilding is on the site of the inner room or parlour. The wing roof is fully hipped and is dependant on the house roof, so the wing cannot have been part of the original house.

In the late 16c/17c, addition of wing as discussed above. During the early 19c major alterations took place. Lower room replaced by cross-wing at southeast end, most windows - if not all - replaced with present leaded lights, front wall of dining room possibly rebuilt. It is likely that the lower end of the house was in very poor condition for such major work to take place. The roof structure of the house probably dates from this renovation, but access was extremely difficult and this is not sure.

In a generally good state of repair, but thatch and some timber badly weathered.

Outbuildings:

Garage: Rectangular gable-ended building, one and a half storeys, with the northeast end built over the leat. First floor and southwest end taken into the house. Large opening made ( late 20c) in northeast gable so ground floor can be used as a garage. Rubble stone walls under roman tile roof. 18c, appears to be shown on 1809-12 Holnicote Survey.

Stable, now store: Single storey outbuilding adjoining main house, pitched roof with end gable boarded, indicating former half-hip. Tiled roof over random rubble stone walls. As the northeast wing overlaps the building, the roof respects it, the probability is that the house continued to the northwest, and that the present building is a rebuild. This end of the house may have been in a ruinous condition, at the time of the 18c as it is the weather end, the cross-wing may have been built to give the space lost to the outbuilding. The two additions to the rear of the stack make it more likely that the house extended this way.

Linhay, now Storage/ Dog House/ Office: One and a half storey linhay, built onto southwest wall of the Stable and facing southeast into yard. Three T-shaped front pillars, alternating with square timber posts. Gable ended roof. Loft access in northeast end wall. Tile roof over coursed rubble stone walls. Mid 19c.

Pigsty/ Chicken House, now disused: Lean-to on southwest end of Linhay. Rubble stone walls under tile roof. Mid/ late 19c.

Privy, now store: Lean-to on the southwest corner of rear wall of Linhay, roof continuous but at slighter pitch. Tile roof over brick walls. 20c.

Stockhouse/ Machinery Store, store: Single storey gable ended building with large opening on lane ( northeast) side. Rubble stone walls under a tile roof. Probably built in the 1930s. (1)

The cottage was recorded as part of the Holnicote Estate Survey in 2001 and is described as: a former farmhouse, the main part rebuilt in the 19c while the 17c wing survives. The original house must therefore have been 15c or 16c in date, and the present building is probably on the same site, but seems to be a complete rebuild, there are no lengths of thicker wall surviving. The property has the mill leat running through the garden and under the outbuilding which butts onto the wing, another farm building continues northwest from the house with part of the wing butting onto it. The roof is thatched and the walls limewashed. [2]

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