Details
SS 90 SW THORVERTON
8/112 Ratcliffes Farmhouse
5.4.66
II
Farmhouse. A circa late C17/early C18 remodelling of a late C16/early C17 building.
Mostly colourwashed and rendered, local volcanic stone rubble with dressed quoins,
some cob to the first floor front elevation of the main range to left of the front
door, cob rear wing; thatched roof with plain ridge, hipped at ends of main range,
gabled at ends of rear wings, rear right wing tiled to rear of ridge ; right end
stack with brick shaft, 2 rear lateral stacks, 1 projecting with set-offs.
Plan and Development : The present plan is a single depth main range, 4 rooms wide
(right hand room subdivided) with an approximately central through passage and left
and right crosswings. This arrangement is probably derived from a late C16/early C17
3 room and through passage plan, although it is not clear which was the lower end.
The room to left of centre, heated by the lateral projecting stack, seems most likely
to have been the hall, but late C16/early C17 carpentry in the right end room
suggests that this may have been the inner room or parlour of the pre C18 phase and
it is possible that the room to right of centre may have been the hall. The circa
late C17/early C18 remodelling provided an almost symmetrical front elevation (facing
south) with 2 principal rooms to the left of the through passage, the room to the
right of the passage possibly serving as a kitchen with a right end service room and
back kitchen in the rear right crosswing. The rear left crosswing appears to have
functioned as an unheated dairy on the ground floor. Dressed quoins, seen during
renovations suggest that this wing post dates the main range. The principal stair
rises from the room to the left of the passage in a projecting turret and there is
access from this room to the dairy wing via a lobby adjacent to the stair. The house
is substantial in scale with the roofspace plastered and fitted out for additonal
accommodation. A C20 single-storey lean-to has been added at the rear of the main
range, between the crosswings. Some re-used smoke-blackened timbers in the roof
structure indicate the possibility of an open hall late medieval house on the site.
Exterior 2 storeys. Handsome 5-bay south front, almost symmetrical, with an
approximately central C18 front door with fielded panels and a thatched porch. 8-
pane sash above porch, the other bays have 16-pane sashes except for the right hand
baby which has 8-pane sashes; sun-dial dated 1720 fixed to front wall. The rear
elevation has a good circa late C17 panelled door to the through passage ; the stair
turret has a corrugated iron lean-to roof and a probably C18 2-light casement with
square leaded panes; similar first floor window to left of stack and another in the
dairy wing, facing the rear courtyard. The dairy wing has an attic dormer in the
thatch with a circa late C16/early C17 3-light timber mullioned window with a moulded
frame and mullions.
Interior Although there are not many exposed pre early C18 features they are likely
to survive under later plaster. There is, however, a deeply chamfered crossbeam with
keeled step stops in the ground floor room right and a boxed in cross beam ground
floor left. Both fireplaces to the lateral stacks have C20 grates, probably
concealing earlier lintels and jambs; blocked fireplace in ground floor room right.
The dairy and back kitchen have roughly chamfered cross beams probably of an C18
date. The principal stair is especially fine, circa late C17, with elaborately
turned balusters a flat handrail and a first floor balustrade. The door to the
stair and adjacent door to the lobby leading into the dairy wing are set in a screen
with a segmental arch and keyblock. The through passage is paved with volcanic
stones from the nearby Raddon Quarry. Surviving C18 joinery includes numerous 2-
panel doors.
Roof The roof trusses are pegged of x apex collar rafter design, the collars halved
and pegged to the principal rafters. (Roofspace over rear right crosswing not
inspected). The timbers include smoke blackened rafters and battens and 1 more
substantial timber, presumably re-used from a medieval open hall house. The attics
of the main range and dairy crosswing are plastered and were formerly reached from a
stair in the right end of the main range. The right end of the main range attic is
partitioned off into a small room and clothes cupboard with a C17 doorframe with
chamfered stopped jambs in the partition.
A photograph of the front elevation of the house during renovations shows timber
lintels, now concealed by the render, indicating paired windows, narrower in width
than the present sashes.
A large handsome farmhouse with numerous features of interest.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
438291
Legacy System:
LBS
End of official list entry
