Porch House

Details

ST 9958 POTTERNE HIGH STREET (east side)

14/157 No 6 (Porch House) 19.3.62

GV I

House, c1480 restored 1872-6 by E. Christian, timber-frame with stone slate roofs and ashlar stacks. Single storey central great hall flanked by 2-storey gabled cross wings with 2-storey gabled porch projecting from south cross wing and rear wing extending back from north cross wing. A remarkable unified design of a single build, close-studded framing on ashlar plinth, the cross wings flush with the main range but jettied at first floor, the jetties aligned with the mid-rail of the hall and a moulded sill-course continued under eaves cove of the hall. Finely carved bargeboards to wings and porch, one a C19 renewal, ball finials to wings and hips of main roof. Hall has projecting full-height timber bay to left with traceried leaded lights and inserted stained glass. Moulded transom, brattished cornice and 5-lights to front. Upper lights are restorations and possibly also tracery of lower lights. To right, close studding and deep eaves cove. Cross wings have brackets on moulded shafts under jetties, moulded bressumers and cambered tie-beams and collars. Left wing has ground floor restored oriel of 3 pairs of traceried leaded lights and first floor 1:2:1 light canted oriel with moulded transom and brattished cornice, supported on moulded bracket. Ashlar side-wall stack flanked by C19 timber oriels. Right cross wing has porch projecting to left and, to right, timber oriel dated G.R. 1874 to first floor and ground floor restored 4-light leaded window with traceried heads. Porch is jettied on 3 sides with first floor similar oriel dated G.R. 1874. Ground floor Tudor-arched restored entry and 3-light C19 traceried openings to sides. C19 Tudor- arched studded plank inner door with original small pointed wicket. Rear has flush gable to south cross-wing, close-studded rear wall to hall and 2-bay rear wing to north cross wing, jettied on south front with tension bracing, 2-window range with door to left and east end C19 ashlar stack. To south of original house is c1874 kitchen range with ashlar base, band of timber-mullion windows under eaves and stone slate roof with high brick stack. A picturesque dormer has been removed from road front. Garden front has projecting gable with half-timbering over window band. Interior: 2-bay great hall with hammer-beam centre truss and 3 tiers of windbracing. Moulded wall-plate. Upper end parlour has massive stone fireplace, 4-centred arch and moulded shelf. Upper room has windbraced roof. Rear wing has massive cross-beams to ceiling and C19 fireplace to match parlour fireplace. In 1870s restoration glass mosaic floors were inserted, and some fine encaustic floor tiles in lower end. C15 to C17 stained glass in hall was restored from fragments given by Lord Leven, provenance unknown. Porch House was probably built for the Bishops of Salisbury, who held the Manor of Potterne. In 1508 it was leased to W. Trymnell and Trymnell family held the house in the C17. During the C18 it was a pub called the Pack Horse and was subdivided into cottages, possibly in 1847 when a plaque records repairs by H.S. Olivier of the Manor House, Potterne (q.v.). In 1870 George Richmond R.A. (1809-96) bought the house, on the recommendation, supposedly, of Samuel Palmer, and restored it with exemplary care, advised partly by E. Christian and mostly by Christian's assistant - Purday. A drawing of 1810 by J. Buckler is in the Devizes Museum. (Wilts. Arch. Mag, 11 1869 p,l.: Wilts. Arch. M ag, 16 1876 p.295: A.M.W. Stirling (ed), The Richmond Papers, p 85: N. Pevsner, Wiltshire, 1975 372)

Listing NGR: ST9949158452

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

445975

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, (1975), 372
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Vol. 11, (1869), 1
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Vol. 16, (1876), 295

Other
The Richmond Papers,

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