Details
CHITTLEHAMPTON
SS 62 NW
1/91 Gambuston Farmhouse, including
range of farmbuilding attached at
- west end and granary attached at east end
- II
Farmhouse with continuous range of stables, root house and shippons attached to left
end and granary to right. Farmhouse late medieval, remodelled in C17, enlarged at
left end in C18, with C19 alterations. Stables and probably granary C18, root house
mid C19, shippons late C19.
Farmhouse of stone rubble, dressed and brought to courses at right (lower) end and
cob, unrendered except at left end to upper storey. Stables of stone rubble and
cob; root barn and shippons principally stone rubble with brick dressings; granary
of stone rubble, cob and slight timber framing with stone rubble infill. Farmhouse
has thatched roof with gable end to right, continued over stables to left with plain
ridge. Tall rendered front lateral hall stack with offsets, unrendered stone rubble
stack at right ga,ble end with tapered cap and brick stack set forward of ridge
towards left end. Slate roof with gable end to root barn and shippons. Corrugated
iron roof with gable ends to granary.
Plan: farmhouse of 3 rooms and cross-passage plan with additional room at left end
formerly poultry house taken in to form part of dwelling. Shallow dairy and stair
outshut to rear. The farmbuildings, extending to the left end to form an impressive
continuous range, comprise lofted stables to left of farmhouse, root house adjoining
to its left and shippons at left end. Granary adjoins at right angles and projects
forward of farmhouse at right end.
Development: the entire range is of considerable interest for demonstrating multi-
phase development. The farmhouse is of late medieval origin, as evidenced by the
reused smoke-blackened purlins and rafters to the main structure and stable roof.
The 2 raised cruck trusses over the lower end may be original, are clean, and may
possibly suggest therefore that the lower end was ceiled from the beginning;
certainly the deep ceiling beam to the lower end of the hall with differing ceiling
heights to each side suggests a possible jettied arrangement. This is supported by
the fact that the 2 chambers created over the lower end and passage have no
connecting door with that over the hall and the original gabled stair turret serves
only the lower end with access to the rear of the hall. When the hall was ceiled,
probably in the C17, the stair turret was enlarged to incorporate a second flight of
stairs to service the hall and inner room chambers. The lower end, to judge by the
good quality masonry confined to this end, may always have served as a parlour. In
the C19 it was partitioned towards the upper end to create a narrow storage room
parallel with the cross-passage. The inner room with its shallow rear dairy, may
always have functioned as a service end, the fireplace across the front left-hand
angle apparently being a later, possibly C18 insertion. The inner room has separate
external access. Beyond it, the additional room formerly used as a poultry house
with loft over, was converted in mid C20 to part of the dwelling. The entire ground
floor was considerably "modernised" in the late C19 and early C20, since when it has
remained very unspoilt.
2 storeys. 5 window range. All early C20 3-light casements, 3 panes per light.
Ground floor lower end has C19 12 paned tripartite sash with sliding sidelight
sashes. 6 panelled door to cross-passage, the upper 3 panels glazed. All openings
to right of stack have brick quoins. Mid C20 3-light hall window and 3 lights
casement, 3 panes per light to left of plank door to inner room. Former outbuilding
at left end has 2-light casement to left of plank door with 4 pigeon holes above to
upper storey. Lofted granary at right end has external stone steps to plank door at
front gable end, the left side jettied over ground floor storage room with plank
door. Stables adjoining to left of farmhouse has virtually symmetrical arrangement
of loft door above plank door flanked by window openings. Root house to left has
stone piers towards right end flanking wide doorway with cambered stone lintel.
Pitching door to rear. Shippons at left end has 2 loft doors above 2 plank stable
doors, that to right flanked by window openings, that to left with window opening to
its right only. All openings to shippons have cambered brick lintels and quoins.
Interior: principally C19 joinery survives intact to ground floor. Inner room has
roughly chamfered axial ceiling beam. C19 fireplace with brick jambs. Hall has
cross ceiling beam and probably deep jetty beam, both plastered over. C19 integral
bench at upper end of hall. C20 grate to probably original concealed fireplace.
Earlier partitions possibly also concealed at each end of hall. Integral C18 corner
cupboard to front left-hand corner of lower end with raised and fielded panelled
door. Classical C19 wood chimneypiece with eared surround. Good C17 double doorway
at head of rear right-hand staircase with chamfered scroll-stopped surrounds and
original doors with scratchmoulded rails and stiles forming 6 panels. Probably
reused C17 ledged plank door to head of left-hand staircase with cover strips
forming 3 panels.
Roof: 2 late C16 raised cruck trusses over lower end with cambered collars and 2
tiers of threaded purlins and ridge purlin. Third truss over hall has typical C17
dovetail-style collar, remainder of roof structure replaced probably in C18 with
rough pegged trusses and waney rafters, but incorporating some smoke-blackened
timbers.
Listing NGR: SS6325425239
