Details
ILSINGTON
SX 77 NE
3/67 Bagtor House
23.8.55
GV II*
Large house. C16, remodelled very early C18; minor C19 additions at rear. Stone
rubble with slated roofs. Front range roof has deeply coved eaves-cornice and is
nipped at each end; small rendered chimneystack in each gable-end. Rear wing has
large projecting stone stack in left wall. In its rear gable wall is another very
large projecting stone stack with thatch weatherings and tapered top; small block
attached to its north-west corner also has a projecting stone stack in right-hand
gable, the granite cap tapered and moulded. L-shaped plan, the front range
remodelled in C18; it has a large entrance hall flanked by 2 main rooms with the
main staircase in a projecting turret behind the hall. Rear wing at left-hand side
is mainly C16 with 3 ground storey rooms, the kitchen occupying the farthest room;
original stair turret to left, leading out of kitchen, and C18 back stair adjacent
to front range. Attached to the north-west corner of wing is a small C16 block of
1-room plan. Small C19 additions have been made at either side of the main
staircase, in the angle of the wing with the room at its north-west corner, and on
the left side of the wing. 2 storeys; some of the C19 additions single storeyed.
symmetrical main front 7 windows wide with centre doorway approached by a flight of
stone steps. Windows and doorway all appear to have late C19 or early C20 details.
windows have mullioned-and-transomed wood casements, probably imitating the Old
originals, but moulded and with higher transoms. Doorway has panelled double doors
with fanlight over; flanking panelled pilasters and entablature in early C19 manner.
Rear wing has C19 wood casement windows, with glazing-bars, on both sides, except
for right-hand second storey window facing the courtyard; this has a lightly moulded
mullion-and-transomed wood casement of the early C18. In the right-hand wall of the
courtyard, where an old lean-to formerly stood, are 4 small rectangular recesses,
sometimes thought to be bee-boles, but more likely to be poultry roosts. Leading
out of the same side of the courtyard is a flight of old, shallow, worn stone steps.
Interior: front range has complete sets of raised bolection-moulded panelling in
both ground-storey rooms, in the second-storey room over the entrance-hall and in
the small dressing-room adjoining it on the left. The panelling is in 2 heights
with moulded dado-rail, except for the main second-storey room which has a third set
of small panels on the top. The right-hand ground-storey room, which seerns to have
been the most important, has a wooden bolection-moulded chimneypiece with pulvinated
frieze and moulded cornice; this was brought back from a room in the rear wing by
the present owner. Doorways at either side and in opposing wall have bolection-
moulded wood architraves and doors with 6 raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panels.
Rear wall has an open-fronted segmental-headed recess with panelled back and shaped
shelves. Window shutters have raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panels. Detail in
other panelled rooms is similar, but with simple moulded architraves to the doors.
No other chimneypieces of this date remain, except for a white marble bolection-
moulded one in the left-hand ground-storey room, which was brought from a house in
Hereford. The right-hand second-storey room has 2 heights of raised-and-fielded
ovolo-moulded panelling and a dentilled cornice. Tne left-hand second-storey room
nas a simple box-cornice without panelling, although it is possible tnat this has
been boarded in. Entrance-hall has 3 doorways with eared architraves, 2 of them
within a C20 inserted lobby with an imitation C18 doorway of the same type. In rear
wall the wide entrance to the main staircase has a tall round-arched opening to
left, with moulded architrave and keyblock, and raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded
panelling to right. The floor above (to judge from a small portion examined by
raising an upstairs floor board) has moulded beams and joists of mid C16, the joists
with run-out stops. Main stair is of wood with an open well, cut strings with
shaped step-ends, turned balusters, and a moulded handrail ramped up over square
newels. The C18 back stair has flat shaped wood balusters of sinuous profile,
square newels with moulded caps, and a moulded handrail. In the rest of the rear
wing the 2 farthest ground-storey rooms have chamfered upper-floor beams with step-
stops. The kitchen has a wide gable-fireplace with canted sides and chamfered wood
lintel with step-stops. At the back, on left side, is an oven with brick domed
roof; opening has stone frame with curved head. On right side is a C19 cloam oven
with a brick surround. The room nearest the main range has fireplace in side-wall
with hollow-moulded granite jambs; later curved lintel of granite. Room over
kitchen (reputedly the birthplace of John Ford, the early C17 dramatist) has moulded
late C16 or early C17 panelling on all but the rear wall; this was also panelled
until mid C20. Gable-fireplace with chamfered wood lintel having convex stops.
Stair turret is reputed to have had stone steps until replaced by wood in C20. At
stairhead is a wood rail with flat column-shaped balusters and a moulded handrail.
Slit window (blocked) in right-hand wall. The 1-room block at north-west corner has
a blocked fireplace with heavy granite lintel; a large piece of late C16 or early
C17 panelling is lying loose against the wall. The room above has a square-headed
late C16 or early C17 fireplace with ovolo-moulded jambs and lintel of granite.
Roof of main range has trusses with the collar pegged to the face of the principal
rafters, probably C18 or early C19; roof of rear wing is C20. The owner and
occupier at the beginning of C18 was Thomas Tothill.
The gatepiers to the east entrance are separately listed, as are the former home
farmhouse (Bagtor Barton) and its outbuildings. All these items make an excellent
group with Bagtor House.
Sources: information from the owner, Mrs A L Perrin. W G Hoskings, Devon, 1954,
p.415.
Listing NGR: SX7655175172
