Ford Cottage

Details

SS 8028-8128
20/50

MOLLAND
Ford Cottage

II

Farmhouse, now house. Circa 1500, altered in the early to mid-C17. Partly rebuilt
in the mid-to late C19. Some roof and internal alteration of the late C20.
Rendered, probably over coursed stone rubble and cob, partly rebuilt and possibly
enlarged in uncoursed stone rubble with some red-brick dressings. Half-hipped
scantle-slate roof to right and higher gable-ended corrugated-iron roof to left.
Rendered lateral stack to front with offsets and late-C19 brick top stage.
Plan and development: 3-room and cross-passage plan, facing south-east, with ground
falling to north-east. Late-Medieval open hall house consisting of hall with
unheated inner room (latterly dairy) to left and cross passage and service room (now
kitchen) to right. Formerly open to the roof over the hall (see smoke-blackened
truss at lower end of hall), and probably formerly continuously open to the roof from
end to end with the rooms divided by low partitions. C17 remodelling included the
insertion of the first floor, probably the rebuilding of the ground-floor partitions
(up into the roof space). See C17 doorway in hall between hall and inner room), and
the addition of a large external stack to the front wall of hall and integral lateral
stack to the rear of the kitchen (possibly formerly a corner stack). Rectangular
lean-to stair projection at rear of upper end of hall. Entrance porch possibly added
in C17 but could be earlier. Eaves raised over hall and inner room end, also in the
C17 (but after the C17 flooring as the stair projection also shows evidence of
raising) or later. Service end partly rebuilt (possibly enlarged) in the late C19
(see straight joints in front and end walls). No partition now separates the cross
passage from the kitchen, it was possibly removed during the partial C19 rebuilding
of the service end. Probably late-C19 lean-to at rear of kitchen. Right-hand part
of service end divided internally, probably in the mid-to late C20. 2 storeys.
Exterior: Asymmetrical 3-window front; late-C19 2-and 3-light wooden casements with
wooden lintels. Inserted C20 2-light ground-floor wooden casement with wooden lintel
to right-hand end. C20 half-glazed door between second and third windows from left;
rendered stone porch with catslide roof and concrete steps within with flanking
wooden benches. Rear with segmental-headed rear doorway at service end. 1 storey
lean-to to rear of kitchen. Ground-floor wooden cross window opposite front
entrance, possibly former rear doorway.
Interior: Hall has 2 deep-chamfered spine beams with runout stops and plastered half
beams. Window seat in front window. C17 full-height chamfered 2-tier corner bench-
end with short-finals on left-hand wall. Doorway between hall and inner room with
C17 pegged straight-sided arched frame and old boarded door, approached by 3 steps
from hall. Inner room has-chamfered spine beams and beams along walls, with stepped
runout stops. Blocked fireplace in kitchen. Steps up to old boarded door leading
into hall. C17 semi-circular oak winder stair to rear of upper end of hall, with old
baorded door at foot.
Remains of late-Medieval smoke-blackened roof including jointed cruck truss at lower
end of hall with trenched purlins and pegged mortice and tenoned apex; smoke-
blackened diagonally-set ridge-piece, extending over hall and service end (truncated
over service end). Internal partitions rising into roofspace at upper and lower ends
of hall section, both without smoke blackening and probably dating from the C17
alterations. Pair of unblackened trusses over service end, either C18 or dating from
the C19 alterations at this end. Late-C20 roof above old roof over hall and inner
room. A probably early-C17 chamfered Tudor-arched wooden doorframe was removed from
this house in the 1960s and reused in the bar of the London Inn (q.v.) in Molland,
probably when the internal alterations were carried out on the lower end of the
house.

Listing NGR: SS8175528243

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

397879

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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