Lower (Or Great) Cliston

Details

SAMPFORD COURTENAY SS 60 SW 5/147 Lower (or Great) Cliston GV II*

Farmhouse. Early C16 considerably remodelled and extended in early C17. Rendered cob and rubble walls with some coursed granite ashlar coursed at the bottom of the front wall and to the front of the wing. Thatch roof gabled at front of right-hand end and to rear wing. 2 brick axial stacks and one to front gable end. At side of rear wing is projecting lateral stack of granite ashlar with chamfered plinth, offsets and moulded dripcourse and rim. Plan: complex evolution of plan. It began probably as a 2 room-and-through-passage house, hall to the left, lower room to the right. The hall at least was open to the roof with a central hearth. The C17 alterations and additions probably occured in 2 stages. First the hall was floored and an inner room added with small wing behind it containing probably a dairy. The hall and inner room were both given axial stacks - that of the hall backing onto the passage. Not long afterwards in the C17 the rear wing was extended by another room - a good quality large parlour which was reached both by independent external access and by a passage created beside the dairy leading from the hall. Adjoining this passage a staircase was added in a projection to the inner side of the wing with a probably integral porch arrangement to the external parlour door beyond it. This opened onto a rear courtyard. At the front of the lower room was a small bakehouse with no internal access from the house. The plan remains very unaltered from the C17. Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window front, the front of the right-hand end is gabled and projects slightly, with the bakehouse, now reduced in height, built in front of it. The windows are C20 1, 3 and 4-light wooden casements with glazing bars. Wide C19 panelled and glazed door to passage towards right-hand end. Wing projects behind left-hand side and has several old windows on its first floor. To the left is an C18 4-light square section mullion to the right of the chimney stack is a 3-light moulded C17 wooden mullion window and beyond that is a simpler chamfered 3-light wooden mullion. Towards the right-hand end is a C19 gabled porch. At the rear is rectangular stair projection on inner face of wing, adjoining porch to parlour which has behind it a chamfered wooden doorframe with cranked head. On the end wall of this projection at lst floor level is a C17 chamfered wooden mullion window. C20 1 storey addition behind lower room to left. Very good interior whose C17 features are of particular interest. Lower room has chamfered cross beams with hollow step stops. At lower end of hall, adjoining fireplace, is part of a plank and muntin screen with chamfered muntins. Its fireplace is granite framed and chamfered. 3 chamfered cross beams with double jewel stops. C17 doorframe from hall to inner room is chamfered with high jewel and concave stops. At the rear of the hall is an early C18 wall cupboard with arched head to glazed door and pilasters over which the cornice breaks forward. The unheated dairy has chamfered beams with hollow step stops. The parlour has flat beams and joist which evidently were intended to take a plaster ceiling which has now gone. Its fireplace has roll-moulded granite jambs which have an inscribed cross on them, and a roll-moulded wooden lintel. Leading to the stairs is a moulded doorframe with cranked head, there are similar shaped chamfered doorframes at the the head of the stairs. The stairs have turned balusters and a closed string with moulded handrail. At the rear of the chamber above the inner room is a plank and muntin screen which may have been re-used since the diagonal stops to its chamfered muntins suggest a date in the earlier C16. Roof: 1 original smoke-blackened truss survives over the hall which has curved feet (plastered over) a morticed cranked collar, diagonal ridge and threaded purlins which run on into the stack. C17 roof over higher end, re-using some smoke- blackened purlins at a higher level, with no truss. Above the plank and muntin screen in the rear parlour is a truss originally open with a wattle and daub infill. Beyond it over the rear wing is a clean side-pegged jointed cruck with high morticed cranked collar which is chamfered on the soffit and has threaded purlins and ridge. This is a particuarly well-preserved high quality C17 remodelling of an earlier house, evidently of gentry status which not only has some very good internal features but also a very unspoilt exterior with several early windows. To include courtyard wall to rear of house which incorporates segmental-headed granite doorway.

Listing NGR: SS6181601844

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

93030

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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