Details
ILMINSTER
ST3414 COURT BARTON
1939-1/6/21 (West side)
23/09/50 The Chantry
GV II*
Chantry/priest's house, now a house. Mid C15, extended to rear
in early C18 and altered c1860. Roughly-coursed Moolham stone
with slate roof, stepped stone copings and brick stacks to
gable ends and lateral stacks flanking the door. L-shape plan:
former kitchen to rear wing; front range has, from the left,
buttery, screen passage, hall and parlour; early C18 rear left
wing connected by an early C18 two-storey stairhall and a
single-storey lean-to.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; 5-window range. All windows to the front
(east) are 6/6-pane sashes with horns, in smooth ashlar
surrounds with rolled edges and moulded sills; 5 to the first
floor, 4 to the ground floor, except for one small C15 slit
window between the pair to first-floor right. C19 door to left
of centre, has vertical Gothic-style panels with a small
inserted window to the top, set in a C15 moulded pointed arch.
This is flanked by two C15 chimney stacks, stepped forward and
offset at eaves level in 2 stages, that to the right has a C19
cream brick shaft, that to the left has an octagonal stone
one.
The wing to rear left has wide C19 inserted segmental
relieving arches to each floor with a tripartite 2/2-pane sash
above a 4-light French-window. Rear wing to right has C19
two-light casements to the rear of both floors with an offset
buttress over an internal chimmney-stack to the centre. Large
central cross-window to stairs at rear of main block.
INTERIOR: A very fine and substantially complete C15 interior.
Entrance hall, to left of centre, has plank-and-muntin screens
to each side, the chamfered muntins have run-out stops, the
first 3 inside the door to the right have shields and foliate
squares carved out of the chamfers. In the service room to
left is a wide fireplace with a shallow pointed-arch Moolham
stone lintel, and though the door appears to be C18 six-panel,
the back of it shows it to have originally been planked. The
hall and service room have flagstone floors.
To the right is the original hall, at one time open to the
rafters, now ceiled-in; it has a large shallow-pointed-arch
Moolham stone lintel to the fireplace on the front (east)
wall. To the far right is another room, the parlour, which has
deeply-moulded beams to the quartered ceiling, now divided by
a passage; a shallow-pointed-arch Moolham stone lintel to the
fireplace in the now rear-right corner against the north wall,
and a small stone sink to the right, of unknown date, below 2
pointed-arch windows with fixed lights. To rear of the parlour
is the kitchen, which has 4 beams with stopped chamfers, a
fireplace recess to the rear wall, and an early C18 built-in
wall cupboard to the left.
The staircase, running from left to right along the rear wall,
is early C18, with closed string, swept handrail and turned
oak balusters which continue along the landing to the first
floor.
To the first-floor right, above the parlour, is a chapel with
a massive Moolham stone lintel to the fireplace, which has a
cavity to the left, said to have been a salt oven. The
6/6-pane sash to the front (east) wall is flanked by stone
image brackets; that to the left is still fixed in situ, that
to the right is free-standing and has traces of colour in the
crevices; to the right of it is a piscina in a pointed-arch
recess and to far right (south-east corner) an embrasured slit
window; the door to that room is early C17 two-panels, raised
and fielded.
The wall dividing this end room from the central room is
plastered, but the other side of it is exposed
plank-and-muntin, with a middle rail; muntins have run-out
chamfers to the top and stopped chamfers below, where 4 holes,
forming a quatrefoil, have been made and act as a squint into
what was once an open hall; the members of this wall are
numbered. This room, to first-floor centre, has early C18
six-panel doors with long panels to the top; an early C18
plain stone fireplace with a beaded edge, which has a late C18
wooden surround with a dentilled cornice to the mantel-shelf
and a cast-iron ducks'-nest hob grate. The early C18 doors
have H or L hinges.
The main block has a collar-truss roof with cusped arch
bracing and chamfered butt purlins, 3 compartments of 2 bays
to the right, 3 bays to the centre with some remaining cusped
wind-braces, and 2 bays to the left with cusped arch braces.
Compartments are divided by the plank-and-muntin screens which
extend vertically through the house. The rear right wing has a
C15 arch-brace collar-truss roof; that to the left, late
C17/early C18, has 2-bay with collar trusses, trenched purlins
and notched apex.
HISTORY: The house faces St Catherine's Chantry, founded by
John Wadham and built to house the tomb of Sir William Wadham
(d.1452). A very fine and substantially complete example of a
C15 Somerset chantry priest's house.
(Wood M: The English Medieval House: London: 1965-: 197-8).
Listing NGR: ST3598814606
