Bridge House, roadside wall and gate piers

Summary

Detached house and former shop. At least mid-18th century, though probably earlier, and including a shop from at least 1815. Mid- to late-19th century repairs and alterations; further alterations and additions in the twentieth and early twentieth first centuries. The boundary wall to the roadside dates from around the turn of the twentieth century.

Reasons for Designation

Bridge House, an C18 or earlier dwelling, its roadside wall and gate piers are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the house is a good example of a C18 or earlier domestic building which is representative of the vernacular building traditions of the area;
* it has a good level of survival, both externally and internally.

Historic interest:

* its former use as a butcher’s shop and the inscriptions on the roadside wall contribute to the social history of Thorverton and the national effort during the First World War.

History

The earliest documentary reference to Thorverton is in 1201 (Mid Devon District Council, 2015) when it was known as Torverton. There are several medieval houses in the village but many of the buildings date from the C17 to the early C19. Bridge House, which occupies a prominent position at the centre of the village, has a datestone of 1763 on its porch, but the building itself is likely to be earlier since the porch appears to cut across a first-floor window. Many buildings in the village, including Bridge House, were damaged during a flood in 1875. A photograph taken that year (Stoyle, 1993) shows the extent of damage to the front of the house, while a photograph of around 1906 indicates that the front windows had been replaced by then.

Bridge House is described on a map of 1815 as ‘Houses & Shops’, and it later reverted to a single dwelling. From at least the mid-C19 it included a butcher’s shop, which was one of three in the village recorded in White’s Directory of 1850. A butchers remained at the premises until the 1980s. The house was refurbished with the relevant consents in the early C21.

Historic maps show various ancillary buildings grouped around a yard to the rear of Bridge House; those along the north-west side of the yard are not extant and part of the south-west range forms part of the house. Until around the turn of the C20 the yard was accessed from Jericho Street through a covered passage, since when the entranceway has been formed of brick gate piers and a high boundary wall. The wall, known locally as the Lads’ Wall, is inscribed with the names or initials of local boys and various dates from the 1910s. At least some of those named on the wall enlisted during the First World War and were sadly killed in action; one, Harry Coren, died at home in 1915, although it is not known if this was the result of wounds, an illness or an accident (Focus on Thorverton, 2007). Those who lost their lives are commemorated on the war memorial in the churchyard.

Details

Detached house and former shop. At least mid-C18, though probably earlier, and including a shop from at least 1815. Mid- to late-C19 repairs and alterations; further alterations and additions in the C20 and early C21. The boundary wall to the roadside dates from around the turn of the C20.

MATERIALS: constructed of rendered cob and stone rubble, probably Raddon, with some brick and concrete block. Some masonry is exposed to the rear and south-west elevations. The roof is gabled and thatched, and one part of the rear slope is slate. There is a left-end brick chimney stack that has been rebuilt, a brick stack at the junction with the front porch, and a stone and brick stack to the rear. The porch roof is hipped and thatched. The early-C21 rear extension is built of brick and part-clad in timber under a zinc flat roof.

PLAN: the house is L-shaped on plan comprising the main range and a rear south-west wing at right angles. To the rear there are several ancillary buildings built along the north-east boundary of the plot.

EXTERIOR: the house faces south-eastwards onto Jubilee Green and is two storeys; the rear wing is one and a half storeys. The fenestration is a mix of timber sashes and casements of various dates. The asymmetrical four-bay front (south-east) has full-height porch to the left-of centre which projects out over the cobbled pavement. The porch is dated 1763 with the initials PW1 and may be an addition to an earlier building. It has a room on the first floor and is carried on four posts; two are later additions. On the ground floor within the porch is an early-C20 shop front with narrow pilasters, a doorway (blocked internally) and a large window with transom lights. There are iron hooks to either side. At first-floor level the porch has a sash window in its front and each side elevation. To the left of the porch is a C19 panelled door with rectangular fanlight and a two-over-two sash window on each floor. These windows have replaced the three-light casements shown on a photograph from 1875. To the right of the porch are two ground-floor sash windows and three on the first floor; two are paired. The left return (south-west) has a sash window on the ground and first floors. The south-west elevation of the rear wing contains two early-C21 casements. In the rear elevation a doorway to the left end has been partly infilled and replaced by a window, and the casement window to the right of the stack has been narrowed to three lights. On the first floor the fenestration includes an early-C21 sash window to the projecting section at the right-hand end. The accommodation extends into a one and a half storey wing at right angles to the main range. There is an early-C20 flat-roofed extension at the junction between the two.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: on the north-east side of the house is ramped boundary wall and a pair of gate piers to Jericho Street. They are built of red brick and capped with simple brick mouldings. The gate is modern. The wall is inscribed with the names and initials of local boys and various dates from the 1910s. In front of the house, the cobbled pavement extends below the porch.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

439204

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Stoyle, I, Thorverton, (1993)

Websites
History, Gazetteer & Directory of Devon, 1850. William White, accessed 2 January 2025 from https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/218254/
Thorverton’s War Memorial, November 2007, Focus on Thorverton, vol. 38, No. 10 pp23-27, accessed 18 December 2024 from https://thorvertonfocus.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/focus-no-ads-nov07.pdf
Thorverton Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan, 2015, Mid Devon District Council, accessed 18 December 2024 from https://www.middevon.gov.uk/media/114950/thorverton-ca-2015-final-v2.pdf

Other
Thorverton. The Tiverton Gazette & East Devon Herald Tuesday, 26 October 1875

End of official list entry

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