Lovecombe

Details

BUCKLAND MONACHORUM BUCKLAND MONACHORUM SX 46 NE 3/53 Lovecombe 21.3.67

- II

House, originally probably farmhouse. Late C16, considerably altered probably in C18 or C19 with mid C20 addition. Rendered stone rubble walls. Hipped slate roof, gabled to rear parallel wing. Probably original coursed rubble axial stack with moulded cap. Rendered lateral stack at side of rear wing. Original plan difficult to establish, it has probably been considerably reduced and all that remains of it is a single room heated by a fireplace at the right-hand end with at the rear of the stack a newel stair in a projection. This room must originally have been the hall. At its right-hand end, behind the stack, is a small unheated room with thick walls now used as an entrance hall, entered by a stone arched doorway. Although now reduced in height, this may be the original inner room which was turned into an entrance hall when the passage and lower end were demolished. These would have been at the opposite (left-hand) end of the hall and were probably demolished in the C18 or C19. At the rear of the hall there appears to have been another heated room from the evidence of a fireplace on the outside of that wall, now in a small room which forms a C19 parallel rear block. Originally this room is likely to have been deeper. It is unusual for a wing to have a stack axial to the main range but this seems more likely than the re-use of a massive granite fireplace. The fact that a granite arched doorway originally led from the hall into this room substantiates this theory. In the circa early C17 a 2-storey bay was added to the front of the hall at the inner end. Probably in the C18 a kitchen was added beside the rear wing at the lower end. Possibly at this stage the lower room and passage were demolished for some reason and the rear wing truncated to be in line with the kitchen. In the mid C20 a wing was added at the lower end of the hall projecting to the front. 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4 window front with projecting C20 wing to left and large 2 storey bay to right of centre. The wing has 2 C20 12-pane sashes on the ground floor and one above in a half dormer. The central recessed section has a similar window to the left on each floor while to the right on the 1st floor is a C19 2- light casement with small panes and the remains of H-L hinges. Below it is a 4- centred granite arched doorway, chamfered with pyramid stops; this is likely originally to have been at the front of the passage. C20 glazed door. To its right the 2 storey hall bay projects with a 2-light granite mullion window on the 1st floor and a C19 12-pane sash below. At the right-hand end the house is lower and has a similar granite doorway to that at the front of the hall, also probably re- used from the demolished lower end and with a C20 plank door. At the rear the various extensions come under a parallel gabled roof. The stair turret is towards the left end and has a granite framed light on its front face with diamond leaded pane and iron stanchion bar. Built out in front of it is C20 flat roofed extension. Interior contains a number of good quality original features. 4 roof trusses survive consisting of substantial principal rafters with diagonal ridge and threaded purlins. The collars have been removed but were halved onto the principals with dove-tailed joints. The hall has a heavy beamed ceiling of chamfered cross beams with pyramid stops. Many of the original joists survive and are similarly decorated. The joints in the hall bay are plain and the beam separating it from the hall is chamfered with hollow step stops. The hall fireplace has been rebuilt in the C20. At the left-hand end of the hall is a chamfered granite 4-centred arched doorway with pyramid stops; this was removed from the rear of the hall during the mid C20 alterations. At the inner end of the hall at the rear is a similar doorway which leads to the newel stairs. These are of finely constructed granite with moulded newel. There is another granite arched doorway at the top of the stairs. In the room at the rear of the hall is a granite framed fireplace, chamfered with pyramid stops to the jambs. The fireplace back has been built out slightly to approximately half way up with small, probably hand-moulded, bricks which may possibly be original or C17. This house is particularly puzzling in its original plan form, a reconstruction of which can only be hypothetical based on existing evidence and common plan-forms for that period. Although considerably altered this has not detracted much from its external appearance and it retains a considerable number of good quality original features.

Listing NGR: SX4951668383

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

92653

Legacy System:

LBS

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