Details
SX 39NW TETCOTT TETCOTT
2/62 Tetcott Manor, Tetcott
4.12.51 Barton and Manor Cottage
GV (formally listed as Old
Tetcott House)
II*
The previous description shall be amended to read:
SX 39 NW TETCOTT TETCOTT
2/62 Tetcott Manor, Tetcott
Barton and Manor Cottage
4.12 .51 (formally listed as Old
Tetcott House)
GV
II*
Manor house sub-divided into 3 occupations. C16 and C17 with substantial C18, C19 and
C20 alterations. Stone rubble with granite dressings, some walls Flemish bond brick,
scantle slate roofs hipped and gabled, stone and brick chimneys, some early crested
ridge tiles.
A complex house with several building phases which are not easy to distinguish owing to
the re-siting of external features and the re-use of old materials. A small central
courtyard is surrounded by 4 irregular picturesque ranges: the core of the west range
may be an early hall range although there is little evidence of the early plan, and
considerable piecemeal addition and alteration, mostly of the C18. The single depth
through passage south range has a re-sited datestone of 1603 and a 2-storey porch, it
may have been a service wing upgraded in the mid and late C17, the date of a fine first
floor room with panelling and a plaster ceiling is circa late C17. It was later in
agricultural use, at least in part. The 2-storey porch appears to post-date one of the
sash windows of the south range and is likely to have been rebuilt or to be an
antiquarian addition of the C19 or C20, but it may genuinely C17. The east range
contains a fine first floor 'court room' with late C17 and early C18 plasterwork. The
north range is mostly brick and incorporates a double-depth block that could be late
C17, or, alternatively, might represent the re-use of early brick, or it could well be
contemporary with the building of 'new' Tetcott i.e. circa 1700.
The sub-division of the house is also complex, for example the circa mid C17 stair in
the west range that serves the present Manor House is said originally to have been the
stair of the Barton before the partition walls were altered.
The south elevation has an asymmetrical stone rubble 9-window front with sash windows
and an approximately central 2-storey gabled porch with a rounded outer stone doorway
with a Keystone below a resited datestone, a 16-pane boxed sash and a large, probably
C18 slate sundial in the gable. The inner doorway of the porch has a cranked arch and
massive late C16/early C17 door with studs and staples. To the left of the porch the
range has regular fenestration of 12-pane horned sashes, these date from 1936. The rear
wall of the left end of the range is brick and was upgraded from a shippon in 1936 (see
interior). To the right of the porch the range has 10-, 12-, 18-pane sashes. The upper
floor sashes are later C18 but set in openings with brick jambs of apparently C.1900.
The lower floor sashes date from 1936. A straight joint indicates that the right hand
bay is an addition and that the axial stack at the right end was originally a gable
end stack.
The west elevation has a picturesque asymmetrical 4-plus 2-window front, the right hand
end set back with 2 gabled dormers, the left-hand end with a massive brick end stack and
1 gabled dormer on the front to the left. In the centre the eaves rise to form a
separately roofed block with a steep hipped roof and a stack on the front with a tall
chimney shaft. The set back right-hand block has one 12-pane sash and three 3-light
stone mullioned windows with hoodmoulds and label stops. The gabled dormers have
attractive decorative slatehanging in the gables. The block in the centre with a hipped
roof has a probably Cl7 chamfered rounded doorway on the right return, a further
entrance on the front to the left under a wide slated porch canopy carried on timber
posts, one 3-light stone mullioned window to the right of the door, 3 first floor
12-pane sashes. To the left of the hipped block 2- and 3-light casements with glazing
bars.
The north and east elevations show considerably more alteration and rebuilding with
features of the several periods. The chief interest here is the interior.
The courtyard retains several granite mullioned windows.
Interior C17 features in the south range include several moulded stopped doorways, some
with unusual heart stops and unconventional carved stops and fine C17 doors with moulded
battens forming panels, some of the doorways have been re-sited. The principal room to
the right of the through passage has large roughly-chamfered cross beams, at least one
of which is reused, and closely spaced exposed joists, C20 grate. This room was
reinstated from a cider store in 1936. A small section of Cl7 plaster frieze to the
rear of the passage is decorated with thistles, roses and fleur de lis. Features of
the early C17 includes a dog-leg stair and turned balusters and newel posts with barrel
finials, some of the treads are solid timber baulks. The principal first floor room in
the south range has a coved plaster ceiling with moulded panels of circa late C17 with
co-eval timber panelling on the walls. The present fireplace has chamfered granite
jambs and lintel. The roof above this shows much alteration and reconstruction with
some reused smoke blackened timbers, one cranked collar, and evidence over the coved
ceiling of a previous plaster barrel ceiling of the early C17. The west end of this
range has a presumably C19 scissor brace roof whitewashed throughout, evidence that it
was indeed an open cowshed until division into rooms in 1936 and post war. The
"court room" in the east range has an armorial plaster overmantel of circa late C17 and
a central plaster ceiling motif of a trumpeting angel, possibly of early C18 date. The
roof of this range is partly of principal rafter type and partly of couples with a ridge
piece.
The interior of the west range is less rich in visible early features but there may be
chimney pieces and beams concealed behind the modern plaster. Barrel vault ceiling on
the first floor. The disused upper floor rooms in the north-west corner remain little
altered from the early C18 with a simple turned baluster staircase and two panel doors.
The roofs in this section are partly principle rafter with dovetailed collars and halved
and pegged apices and partly coupled rafters with halved and pegged apices.
The kitchen in the north range has a massive partly-block fireplace that may be C16 or
C17 in origin with a high granite lintel. Tradition has this room as the hall but it is
likely to have been the kitchen of the manor.
History The manor was bought in circa 1550 by the first John Arscott of Tetcott and he
commenced building a house which may in part still survive, but very heavily disguised.
The quadrangular plan, characteristic of Tudor houses, appears to be more the result of
chance than deliberate design, and the original purpose of the different ranges remains
very ambiguous. Features both external and internal survive from all periods, while the
roof structure mostly appears to be Cl7. The house was downgraded from the manor in
circa 1700 when a new brick Tetcott in the Baroque style was constructed immediately to
the east. In effect this meant that the old buildings became service ranges and the
home farm, and this situation continued until the estate was inherited by the Molesworths
of Pencarrow in 1788 and the family seat moved there. This led to the demolition of
'new' Tetcott in 1831 and the further downgrading of 'old' Tetcott. It still continues
in use as a farmhouse in the north-west corner of the courtyard; but the south range
was brought back from agricultural to domestic use in 1935 by Sir John Molesworth-St Aubyn
and it continues in use by the family today. Much history and legend surround the life
of the Arscotts in this house, including several curious tales concerning their late
C18 jester 'Black John'.
The hunting prowess of the last of the Arscotts is celebrated in a west country ballad
and Hoskins suggests that the Arscott family and their house "epitomise all the ancient
Devonshire Squires and their homes". Tetcott Manor has a long and intriguing building
history, the irregular exterior is extremely picturesque and forms a fine group with
Tetcott Church and a number of associated buildings of different dates.
Source: Information from Sir Arscott Molesworth-St Aubyn.
------------------------------------
SX 39 NW TETCOTT TETCOTT
0020/0062 Tetcott Manor, Tetcott Barton and
4.12.51 Manor Cottage (formerly listed as
Old Tetcott House)
GV II*
Manor house sub-divided into 3 occupations. C16 and C17 with substantial C18, C19
and C20 alterations. Stone rubble with granite dressings, some walls Flemish bond
brick, scantle slate roofs hipped and gabled, stone and brick chimneys, some early
crested ridge tiles.
A complex house with several building phases which are not easy to distinguish owing
to the re-siting of external and internal features and the re-use of old materials.
A small central courtyard is surrounded by 4 irregular picturesque ranges: the-core
of the west range may be an early hall range although there is little evidence of the
early plan and considerable piecemeal addition and alteration, mostly of the C18.
The single depth through passage south range has a re-sited datestone of 1603 and a
2-storey porch, it may have been a service wing upgraded in the mid and late C17, the
date of a fine first floor room with panelling and a plaster ceiling is circa late
C17. The 2-storey porch appears to post-date one of the sash windows of the south
range and is likely to have been rebuilt or to be an antiquarian addition of the C19
or C20. The east range contains a fine first floor "court room" with early C18
plasterwork. The-north range is mostly brick and incorporates a double-depth block
that could be late C17 or, alternatively, might represent the re-use of early brick.
The subdivision of the house is also complex, for example the circa mid C17 stair in
the west range that serves the present Manor House is said originally to have been
the stair of the Barton before the partition walls were altered.
2 storeys.
The south elevation has an asymmetrical stone rubble 9-window front with sash windows
and an approximately central 2-storey gabled porch with a rounded outer stone doorway
with a keystone below a resited datestone, a 16-pane boxed sash and a large, probably
C18 slate sundial in the gable. The inner doorway of the porch has a cranked arch
and massive late C16/early C17 door with studs and staples. To the left of the porch
the range has regular fenestration of 12-pane horned sashes. The rear wall of the
left end of the range is brick and it is said to have been upgraded from a farm
building. To the right of the porch the range has 10-, 12- and 18-pane sashes; a
straight joint indicates that the right-hand bay is an addition and that the axial
stack at the right end was originally a gable end stack.
The west elevation has a picturesque asymmetrical 4- plus 2-window front, the right-
hand end set back with 2 gabled dormers, the left-hand end with a massive brick end
stack and 1 gabled dormer on the front to the left. In the centre the eaves rise to
form a separately routed block with a deep hipped roof and a stack on the front with
a tall chimney shaft. The set back right-hand block has one 12-pane sash and three
3-light stone mullioned windows with hoodmoulds and label stops. The gabled dormers
have attractive decorative slatehanging in the gables. The block in the centre with
a hipped roof has a probably C17 chamfered rounded doorway on the right return, a
further entrance on the front to the left under a wide slated porch canopy carried on
timber posts, one 3-light stone mullioned window to the right of the door, 3 first
floor 12-pane sashes. To the left of the hipped block 2- and 3-light casements with
glazing bars.
Interior C17 features in the south range include several moulded stopped doorways,
some with unusual heart stops and unconventional carved stops, and fine C17 doors
with moulded battens forming panels, some of the doorways have been re-sited. The
principal room to the right of the through passage has large roughly-chamfered cross
beams and closely-spaced exposed joists, C20 grate. A small section of C17 plaster
frieze to the rear of the passage is decorated with thistles, roses, and fleur de
lis. Features of the early C17 include a dog-leg stair with turned balusters and
newel posts with barrel finials, some of the treads are solid timber baulks. The
principal first floor room in the south range has a coved plaster ceiling with
moulded panels of circa late C17 with co-eval timber panelling on the walls. The
present fireplace has chamfered granite jambs and lintel. The "court room" in the
east range has an armorial plaster overmantel of circa late C17 and a central plaster
ceiling motif of a trumpetting angel. The interior of the west range is less rich in
visible early features but there may be chimney pieces and beams concealed behind the
modern plaster.
The kitchen in the north range has a massive partly-blocked fireplace that may be C16
or C17 in origin, with a high granite lintel. 2 C17 pegged roof trusses to the north
end of the west range. No access to south range roofspace at time of survey (1985).
A junior branch of the Arscotts purchased Tetcott in about 1550 (Hoskins). There is
some confusion about the history of the manor house in printed sources but it appears
that a completely new brick manor house was built in circa 1700 and the old house was
used as a farmhouse and farmbuildings; after the brick house was dismantled the old
manor house was reinstated. The hunting prowess of the last of the Arscotts is
celebrated in a west country ballad and Hoskins suggests that the Arscott family and
their house "epitomise all the ancient Devonshire Squires and their homes".
Tetcott Manor a long and intriguing building history, the irregular exterior is
extremely picturesque and forms a fine group with Tetcott Church and a number of
associated buildings of different dates.
Listing NGR: SX3315396575
