Bryncambric Farmhouse

Details

417/0/10002
05-FEB-03

CLUN
CHAPEL LAWN
Bryncambric Farmhouse

II

Also Known As: Bryn Cambric, Chapel Lawn

Farmhouse. C14 or C15 building of cruck construction with late C16 or early C17 inserted floors, refenestrated and extended in late C20. Timber-frame construction, walls of limewashed local stone rubble, thatch roof of reeds, replacing former gorse; stone ridge and end stacks. There survive four bays, defined by three pairs of crucks; thus two bays are within the cruck-framing, with upper and lower outer units. Fragments of a 4th pair of crucks were traced in the downhill gable end. Aligned NW/SE and set into the hillside. NE elevation has range of 4 windows of unequal size and spacing stepped downhill, stone sills and wooden lintels, all replaced casement glazing though to original openings; the three upper uphill windows are eyebrow dormers. Main entrance now is through a C20 thatched roofed porch, the wide internal doorway opening on to the chimney breast in 'baffle entry' style. West elevation has two eyebrow dormers and two small ground floor casements (replaced glazing) in the downhill units, below the small doorway with later now unused corrugated porch. Gable end uphill has no openings; downhill openings are altered. An extension wing in matching materials has been constructed at south in 2002.

Interior. Internal timber-framed partitions traditionally plastered remain: timbers have been keyed, one exposed wattle panel remains and one has been re-made using the original slots. External walls have no such remains, supporting the supposition that the timber-framing was replaced with stone perhaps in C19 and then wallpapered - 13 layers were in existence.

The following description is from downhill to uphill. The downhill unit may have been adapted from stock accommodation (slurry opening in side wall) and a fireplace was later created on the other side of the main stack. Access from here to the main living room is now adjacent to the main entrance, with an internal passage skirting the stack. Open fireplace with heavy chamfered timber bressumer abutting the cruck-blade. Above is a heavy chequerboard ceiling comprising a grid of deeply chamfered and stopped beams creating four compartments with joists grouped at right angles to each other. None of the timbers has been stained black. Window with unequal splays. Timber-framed partition on stone sill with replaced wattle partition. Steps up to 'hall' or staircase bay with similar ceiling grid of beams, chamfered and stopped, though the joists are all parallel to frontage. Fine wide floorboards of the upper storey rest on the joists. Stairs (re-made late C20) rise against NE wall. In the upper unit is a second open fireplace with lightly chamfered bressumer and deep bread oven, recesses for tallow and salt; historic wattle partition opposite; ceiling here is of parallel spine beams, chamfered and stopped, with joists at right angles. Set into the W wall are three alcoves with timber surrounds or lintels, one with a stone shelf and one thought to have been a spice cupboard with boarded back and the imprint of butterfly hinges. Floors throughout are mostly flags.

Upstairs the three pairs of crucks at acute angles are fully visible with collars at different heights, ridge beams, trenched purlins (though in centre bay these are set well back from the crucks), and principal rafters visible in the plastered ceiling. Three bedrooms and 'landing' or staircase bay. Timbers are smoke-blackened.

History: This was originally a cruck-framed single storey hall house, tentatively dated to C14. Most Shropshire crucks are C15 but other whole tree trusses in Shropshire which have been dendro-dated are later C13 - Cruck Cottage at Upton Magna and Stokesay Castle. Here the two uphill trusses are of whole trees whereas the lower truss is of sawn timbers. (A further pair of crucks was recorded in fragmentary condition in the downhill gable end.) The suggestion is that the better finished truss indicates the higher status end of the original hall, the status continued in the later chequerboard ceiling. There is also some evidence for former passing windbraces. The floors with the fine beamed ceilings were inserted in late C16/early C17. There is no obvious alternative site for a staircase, when one was needed to give access to upper floors, so it is thought to have occupied the upper cruck bay, as now. The Tithe Map shows a series of small enclosures just above the farm track with the large open hilltop of Caer Caradoc, the important Iron-Age hillfort, above. 'Brincambric' appears in sizeable lettering suggesting a significant building, the only other nearby building shown and no longer extant is on The Patch a little to NW. Many of the internal features described above had been concealed by partitions, blockings or applied modern surfaces and were revealed during repairs in late 1990s.

References: Clun Tithe Map Habendrid Township 1847
Information from Shropshire Sites and Monuments Record
Information from Madge Moran, author of unpublished survey.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

490073

Legacy System:

LBS

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