Rectory Farmhouse

Details

SS 21 NW MORWENSTOW MORWENSTOW

1/114 Rectory Farmhouse 18.lO.84

- II*

Farmhouse. C14, C15 remodelling, C16 alterations, C17 additions, C19 alterations and additions, C20 renovations. Stone rubble, some cob, colourwashed and rendered to front, Delabole slate roof with gable ends, brick ridge chimney, stone chimney at right gable end. Remains of C14 spere truss from C14 hall house. Spere truss retained in C15 rebuild. C15 house heated at the higher end, above the spere, unheated at the lower end. Stack inserted in higher end and hall ceiled over in C16. 3-room and cross or through passage plan with newel stair in wall between higher and lower ends. C17 front projection added containing porch and C17 stair. Probably C19 addition at higher end, C19 rear wing at higher end. Rear outshut adjoins rear wing, small leanto adjoining right gable end may be remains of pantry at lower end. 2-storey, asymmetrical 3 + 1 window front, 1 window in front projection. Off-centre, 2-storey, gabled front projection with deep eaves contains porch and C17 stair. Square-headed stone doorway in left front of front projection has chamfered lintel and jambs below hoodmould with label stops. Ground floor (lower room) window left 3-light, central sash with glazing bars flanked by glazed lights with glazing bars, all with horns. Ground floor window to left of porch 3- light casement, 6 panes per light. Ground floor window to right of porch 2-light casement, 6 panes per light. First floor window left, in gabled dormer, similar to ground floor window left. First floor window to left of porch, in gabled dormer, 2-light casement, 6 panes per light. Interior. Slate floors to ground floor rooms left and centre. Fireplace to middle room partly blocked, probably concealing earlier features. Flat-arched jointed timber doorway with fillet moulding on jambs leads into blocked newel stair in wall to left of lower room. Front projection contains C17 stair with moulded rail and some turned, some stick balusters. C14 spere truss between higher and lower ends has chamfered crown post and 2 angled struts, mortices for additional struts and crown purlin. 3 C15 smoke-blackened trusses at higher end of spere have chamfered arch braces. The principals are jointed above collar level by lap notched struts. Trusses have 2 tiers of threaded purlins and wind bracing. Principals are upper crucks with mortices for wall plate. Arch brace truss at lower end of spere is truncated above collar and largely concealed behind timbers used for repair. Wind bracing at lower end of spere. Rafters of main roof and roof timbers in front projection replaced during 1980s reslating. Smoke-blackened rafters of roof stored in farm building. Most of the front windows replaced 1980s, first floor window to left of porch reduced in size. C15 trusses have similarities to Froxton (q.v. Whitestone parish). The other known crown post roof in Cornwall is Frenchman's Creek Cafe at Fowey, Eric Mercer, English Vernacular Houses (1975) p.84.

Listing NGR: SS2055715219

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

64920

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Mercer, Eric, English Vernacular Houses, (1975), 84

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.