Lower Hewton

Details

SOURTON SX 59 SW

8/118 Lower Hewton -

- II

House originally farmhouse. Circa 1500 with alterations and extension in C17, possibly and further extended in C18 and C19. Rendered cob and stone rubble walls. Gable ended concrete tile roof. 3 stacks; stone rubble axial hall stack, projecting rubble stack at left gable end with C20 brick shaft and C20 brick shaft offset from ridge at rear. Plan: originally probably 2-room and through passage plan with hall to the right open to the roof and heated by a central hearth; replacement of the lower room roof timbers makes it unclear whether it also was open to the roof. A solid wall which divides it from the passage is very thick on ground floor level but tapers considerably to roof apex height - this may originally have been a low partition. The hall may not have been ceiled until the mid C17 judging from the form of the beams and a C17 spoon which was found in the hall ceiling - the date of 1658 in the plasterwork on the first floor may relate to the flooring of the house. The newel stairs were added in a projection at the front of the hall (integral with a porch) when the floor was inserted and lead into the room above the hall so it seems unlikely that the hall was ceiled later than the lower.room. It is possible however that the hall fireplace pre-dates the ceiling. The arrangement of the lower room fireplace and ceiling beam suggests they are contemporary of the circa mid-C17. In the mid-late C17 the house was extended at the lower end by 1 room which is likely originally to have been unheated and used probably for service purposes; it is noticeably deeper than the original house; it had a fireplace added in the C18. The outbuilding at the higher end of the hall is also probably C18. In the C19 outshuts were added at the rear of the hall and passage. 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 5-window front. The right-hand end of the house is an outbuilding and the integral porch and stair turret projects to the right of centre. The 2 left-hand windows and the porch window to the first floor circa late C19 2- light casements with glazing bars. Otherwise the windows are earlier C19 small- paned 3-light casements. The porch is to the left of the stair projection under a leanto roof and is open-fronted with a C19 panelled door behind. The stairs have a very small light. To the left of centre is a C19 plank door leading into the lower addition. Between the house and the outbuilding at the right end a straight joint is discernible. The outbuilding has a doorway to the left with a loading hatch above and a slit opening to its right. At the rear the lower right end of the house projects and to the centre is a circa early C19 outshut. Good interior has features from several periods. The original roof survives for 2 bays over the hall and passage and is smoke-blackened. The hall truss consists of probably raised crucks with an unchamfered arch-braced morticed cranked collar, butt purlins and morticed apex with threaded diagonal ridge. The wide bay at the higher end of the hall is intersected by a cambered strengthening collar which has birds- mouth joints to the purlins. The original common rafters also survive. Below the passage the roof has been replaced in the C18 but a scarf joint to the original ridge shows that it continued. The hall fireplace has a high wooden lintel which is chamfered with worn stops. Its granite jambs are roughly chamfered and it has an oven in the right-hand side. The hall ceiling has 3 chamfered cross beams with wide bar and hollow stops. The doorway to the stairs is of an unusual shouldered form with the shoulders set considerably down from the door-head. The wooden newel stairs have probably had their treads renewed. At the higher end of the hall is an C18 cupboard with moulded door and surround and H-hinges. The lower room has an unusual arrangement of beam and fireplace. The fireplace has 2 ovens and has been filled in on the right-hand side to incorporate one of them. At the head of the newel stairs the chamber over the hall has a C17 chamfered wooden door-frame with mason's mitres. The chamber over the lower room has a small fireplace with a chamfered wooden lintel. Above it is the date 1653 and initials I.A. in high-relief plasterwork. In the addition at the lower end the fireplace has a plain C18 wooden lintel but a chamfered and stopped window lintel suggests that the room pre-dates the fireplace. A number of the rooms retain their old limewash to the walls. The floors to the passage and hall are of lime-ash and on the first floor the old wide floorboards survive. The house retains a variety of interesting features from different periods and remains very unaltered internally and externally since the C19.

Listing NGR: SX5068092952

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

94359

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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