Bunksland Farmhouse and Attached Outbuildings

Details

EAST ANSTEY SS 82 NE 2/1 Bungsland Farmhouse and attached outbuildings 11.5.83 - II*

Farmhouse and attached outbuildings, comprising hay barn to left and shippon to right. Farmhouse probably early C15, remodelled probably in late C16 or early C17, some C19 alterations and virtually unaltered since. Shippon probably C17, barn at left end circa 1880. Farmhouse and shippon rubble and cob, farmhouse rendered to front only. Barn of unrendered stone rubble with brick dressings. Farmhouse has corrugated asbestos roof, shippon corrugated, barn slated, with gable ends. Decreasing ridge level from left to right. Axial stone rubble stack with tapered cap and brick shaft to stone rubble stack at left gable end of farmhouse, enclosed by barn. Plan and Development: the farmhouse is a remarkably interesting example of multiphase development. 3 room and cross-passage plan, lower end to right with axial stack backing onto passage, with straight run staircases to rear of cross- passage and running up gable wall of inner room in rear left-hand corner. Lofted shippon attached to right end, partially lofted hay barn to left end. The farmhouse consists of apparently, a 4 bay open hall house. The hall of two bays has an impressive wind-braced jointed cruck roof, but most unusually a closed truss of crown-post type construction at the upper end. When the hall and inner room were floored, probably in the late C16, a solid wall partition was built up against the closed truss to carry the inner room ceiling beam. The inserted axial stack also created a solid wall partition at the lower end of the hall. The lower end, to the right of the cross-passage consists of a small unheated front parlour and rear dairy with the lofted shippon attached at the right end; the latter is clearly a late C17 or early C18 addition, possibly coinciding with the creation of the parlour and dairy out of a former byre. Exterior: 2 storeys. 4-window range. Principally late C19 and early C20 fenestration. Plank door at left end enclosed by small C20 flat-roofed extension. 2-light above 3-light casement, both 2 panes per light at left end. 2 light casements on each floor, that to upper storey 6 panes per light, that lighting hall 7 panes per light. 2 light casement above C19 plank door to cross-passage doorway. To right is a C18 2-light casement with leaded lignts and decorative wrought iron catch above 2-light casement 3 panes per light. To the rear of lower end are 2 small 2-light C17 mullion windows, with chamfered surrounds, the mullions replaced. The rear of tile farmhouse is otherwise blind. Lofted shippon at right end has loft opening above 2 doorways. Barn at left end has loft door above 2 plank stable doors, with brick dressings. Interior: Inner room has chamfered axial ceiling beam and front and rear half beams. Exposed joists. C19 straight run staircase in rear left-hand corner. Fireplace concealed. Keel-stopped chamfered cross ceiling to beam hall,chamfered bressumer at upper end, and half beam to front of axial stack with clear evidence of ladder arrangement in the soffit close to the front wall. Chamfered fireplace lintel supported on shaped timber corbels. Brick lined bread oven. Between the stack and former stair ladder is a late C16 four-centred arched door surround to cross-passage, the jambs partially cased in. Small front parlour to lower end has plastered axial ceiling beam with plaster moulding on the rear side only. C18 and C19 plank doors survive throughout. There is no interconnecting doorway between the hall and inner room chambers. Roof: very fine and unusual probably C15 roof structure, the roofspace unfortunately accessible over the lower end and passage only. Jointed cruck truss over lower end has small strengthening piece to diagonally set ridge. Former morticed and tenoned collar replaced. The ridge,suviving front rafters and truss are all heavily smoke- blackened. Similar truss over hall with high cranked morticed and tenoned collar. The closed truss at the upper end of the hall is of a type rarely found in the West Country. As it is partially plastered or papered over, all the details are not visible. It consists of a pair of principal rafters, apparently straight and of lighter scantling than the jointed crucks. A low collar, is tenoned into the principal rafters and the purlins are clasped between principal rafters and collar. The collar is supported by a central post (apparently rising from ground level as a short section is exposed in the hall below) with curved upward braces from post to collar and apparently continuing to the apex as a king strut to support the ridge. Mortices for staves in the soffits of the beam and principal rafters show that originally the truss was closed, the infilling presumably being removed when the solid wall was built on the inner room side of the truss, the wall enclosing the post and framing where visible in the hall. A single tier of paired curved windbraces survives on the front side between the 2 pairs of jointed crucks and centre the central jointed cruck and the closed truss. There were similar braces to the rear side but these have been removed. A single windbrace to front and rear survives on the inner room side. The braces are morticed into the trusses and one apparently halved into the backs of the purlins. Bungsland Farmhouse is a a remarkably unspoilt example of a medieval dwelling clearly of some status, the interior detail and particularly the roof structure being of considerable interest. The closed truss at the upper end of the hall is a rare example of a type which may once have been more common in the south-west, particularly in jointed cruck roofs without windbracing for replacements of the closed truss with a solid wall partition between hall and inner room would have left little indication of the former arrangement it had existed.

Listing NGR: SS8502426271

Legacy

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Legacy System number:

97353

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LBS

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