Dove Cote / Church House

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

In the entry for the following:-

BICKINGTON SX 77 SE 7/23 BICKINGTON

23.8.55 Church House and Dove Cote

GV II*

The description shall be amended to read:-

Pair of houses, formerly one house, Church House (on left) is believed to be the pre- reformation church house. Church House is C16; Dove Cote is an addition of the late C16 or early C17. Solid, roughcast walls of stone or cob. Asbestos-slated roofs. Projecting chimney-stack in each gable. The left-hand stack has a rebuilt shaft, probably of brick under the rendering; right-hand stack is of stone rubble with a wide, deep projection, offset, and a thick shaft. Built into the right-hand side of the latter stack, just above the offset, are 3 pigeon holes, believed (from oral tradition) to have been added in mid C19.

In front wall of Church House, off-centre to right, is a projecting stack with offsets, the thick shaft covered with hard C20 render. Church House has a 2 room and through- passage plan, the former hall (with lateral fireplace) probably on the right. It must have been a free-standing house originally, since there are 2 blocked upper-storey windows in the right-hand gable wall. Dove Cote has a 1-room plan, at present entered through the right-hand gable; there is a blocked doorway in the solid, full-height wall dividing the 2 houses. There is a single-storeyed C19 lean-to behind Church house. 2 storeys 5 window front, the 2 right-hand windows belonging to Dove Cote. Windows at Church House are all C19 wood casements with glazing bars, except for C20 window at left-hand end of ground storey. Dove Cote has C20 plastic~windows. Church House doorway to left of stack has stone porch with slated pent roof covered with cement; this seems to extend over oven projection at right-hand side. Old plank door with small window cut into it.

At sill level in upper storey is an early stringcourse, extending (except where it is worn away) from the left corner of the building to the projecting stack. Interior of Church House has stud-and-panel screen to left of through-passage, the studs and head-beam having three quartered-round mouldings; the doorway (mutilated to insert later door) has a curved head, similarly moulded, which appear to have been shouldered originally. Studs on reverse side are plain, but one end of this side of screen is plastered and carries a wall painting, probably of early or mid C18, consisting of a blank panel with a broad frame of C-scrolls. In gable-wall a fireplace with chamfered wood lintel. Former hall, to right of passage, is entered through an old plank door with wrought-iron strap-hinges.

Fireplace has chamfered stone jambs with stone corbels at the top, the latter carrying a chamfered wood lintel with step-stops; the right-hand corbel, though apparently original, is not chamfered. Oven on right side with brick openings. Central upper floor beam and 2 half-beams are cambered and chamfered with bar-stops. Front window to left of fireplace has some old plank doors, Old waffle and daub partition over middle of gall.

Roof has 6 side-pegged, jointed-cruck trusses, including 2 gable-trusses; cranked collars, threaded purlins, no ridge-piece. Timbers not smoke-blackened. House retains much old wall-plaster. Ground storey room of Dove Cote has central upper floor beam and 2 half beams, all cambered and chamfered with step-stops; plain joists. Large gable fireplace has chamfered wood lintel, partly concealed by upper floor beam. On left-hand side a hollowed chamfer with its own flue has been cut in; it may have been a smoking chamber. On right-hand side, at the back a large flue has been inserted; its purpose is uncertain, since there is no obvious opening to it from below. The thick masonry to left has a large recess half-way up, this having a ventilator pipe in its rear wall. Roof truss exposed in upper storey has short cruck foot at the front. Roof-space not inspected.

The 2 hoses were Church property until 1924.

Source photo in National Monuments Record (described as Bickington Post Office)

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BICKINGTON BICKINGTON SX 77 SE 7/23 Church House and Dove Cote 23.8.55 GV II*

Pair of houses, formerly one house. Church House (on left) is believed to be the pre-Reformation church house. Church House is C16; Dove Cote is an addition of the late C16 or early C17. Later additions at rear. Solid, roughcast walls of stone or cob. Asbestos-slated roofs. Projecting chimneystack in each gable. The left- hand stack has a rebuilt shaft, probably of brick under the rendering; right-hand stack is of stone rubble with a wide, deep projection, offset, and a thick shaft.

Built into the right-hand side of the latter stack, just above the offset, are 3 pigeon holes, believed (from oral tradition) to have been added in mid C19. In front wall of Church House, off-centre to right, is a projecting stack with offsets, the thick shaft covered with hard C20 render. Church House has a 2 room and through-passage plan, the former hall (with lateral fireplace) probably on the right. It must have been a free-standing house originally, since there are 2 blocked upper-storey windows in the right-hand gable-wall. Dove Cote has a 1-room plan, at present entered through the right-hand gable; there is a blocked doorway in the solid, full-height wall dividing the 2 houses. There is a single-storeyed lean-to behind Church House and a long range of buildings at the rear of Dove Cote, set at right angles to the front range; all these are probably additions of C19 or earlier. 2 storeys; the additions at rear all single-storeyed except for the front section of the range behind Dove Cote, which is 2-storeyed. 5 window front, the 2 right-hand windows belonging to Dove Cote. Windows at Church House are all C19 wood casements with glazing bars, except for C20 window at left-hand end of ground storey. Dove Cote has C20 plastic windows. Church House doorway to left of stack has stone porch with slated pent roof covered with cement; this seems to extend over oven projection at right-hand side. Old plank door with small window cut into it. At sill level in upper storey is an early stringcourse, extending (except where it is worn away) from the left corner of the building to the projecting stack.

Interior of Church House has stud-and-panel screen to left of through-passage, the studs and head-beam having threequarter-round mouldings; the doorway (mutilated to insert later door) has a curved head, similarly moulded, which appears to have been shouldered originally. Studs on reverse side are plain, but one end of this side of screen is plastered and carries a wall painting, probably of early or mid C18, consisting of a blank panel with a broad frame of C-scrolls. In gable-wall a fireplace with chamfered wood lintel. Former hall, to right of passage, is entered through an old plank door with wrought-iron strap-hinges. Fireplace has chamfered stone jambs with stone corbels at the top, the latter carrying a chamfered wood lintel with step-stops; the right-hand corbel, though apparently original, is not chamfered. Oven on right side with brick opening. Central upper floor beam and 2 half-beams are cambered and chamfered with bar-stops. Front window to left of fireplace has some old plank doors. Old wattle and daub partition over middle of hall. Roof has 6 side-pegged, jointed-cruck trusses, including 2 gable-trusses; cranked collars, threaded purlins, no ridge-piece. Timbers not smoke-blackened.

House retains much old wall-plaster.

Ground storey room of Dove Cote has central upper floor beam and 2 half beams, all cambered and chamfered with step-stops; plain joists. Large gable fireplace has chamfered wood lintel, partly concealed by upper floor beam. On left-hand side a hollowed chamfer with its own flue has been cut in; it may have been a smoking chamber. On right-hand side, at the back a large flue has been inserted; its purpose is uncertain, since there is no obvious opening to it from below. The thick masonry to left has a large recess half-way up, this having a ventilator pipe in its rear wall. Roof truss exposed in upper storey has short cruck foot at the front. Roof-space not inspected.

The 2 houses were Church property until 1924.

Source: photo in National Monuments Record (described as Bickington Post Office).

Listing NGR: SX7998772702

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1374 IOE Records taken by M J Medley; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr M J Medley. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project