The Dogs

Details

WINCANTON CP TOUT HILL (West side) ST7128 8/217 The Dogs (also called The Old House. 24.3.61

GV I

House. Circa 1650, reshaped internally by Nathaniel Ireson 1740-50. Local stone rubble, lime rendered on all but North side; plain clay tile roof over stone slate base courses with simple gables; stone chimney stacks with moulded caps. U-plan with added South porch and infill on East. 2 storeys with attic, 3 bays South elevation. Plinth, first floor string course; reserved chamfer mullioned windows, 3-lights to main outer bays, the upper with labels, and 2-light to attic gable bay 1 and to first floor projecting porch to bay 2, under second string course; open porch arch is chamfered and cambered; inside are side seats and single sidelights with ovolo mouldings; 2-panelled door in inner cambered arch; in porch gable a sundial and above a square panel with reserved chamfer border and niche; in roof over bay 3 a pitched roof dormer. The East roadside elevation similar, with 2-projecting bays and single-storey former porch between them; here the windows have ovolo mouldings to the main 3-light window, but reserved chamfers to the attic 2-light windows-all windows have labels. North elevation has similar mixture of moulded mullioned windows; one first floor window blocked in red brickwork; this elevation partly hidden by 1930's cinema (Not listed) built close to the wall by the then owner of the house. The West elevation has 5 bays of varied fenestration , with an early C20 window and door to bay 1, taller reserved chamfer mullioned and transomed stair window bay 3, under which is a C19 porch; bay 4 has three 2-light windows, a reserved chamfer mullioned window to cellar, ovolo-mould to ground floor and hollow chamfer above; bay 5 has a chimney stack corbelled out at first level. In the interior, Ireson's work much in evidence; the porch leads into dining room, on South East corner, which has C17 dado panelling, an ovolo mould cambered arched doorway into hall, and fine wide fireplace with C18 wood panelled canopy with racks for spits, etc. The Hall, in middle of West elevation had the entrance doorway, according to C19 illustrations (eg. Wincanton Guide Book); 2-panel doorways and fine stairway probably by Ireson, with square newels with ball finials and barley-sugar twist balusters. North East living room has segmental arched openings and C18 ceiling in two sections with deep frieze. North West corner room has full height C18 panelling with wood cornice, and plain cambered arched fireplace angled across one corner. The landing has fine panelled doors, some double, set in pedimented surrounds. The South West bedroom probably finest room in house; full height fielded panelling with pulvinated frieze, with good chimney piece and overmantel; on most panels are paintings executed by French officer prisoners between 1805 and 1815. The North-West bedroom has full height fielded panelling and heavy ogee mould frieze, but also plain chamfered crossbeams to ceiling and a bolection-mould fireplace in the corner. The South East bedroom has two carved window seats, posibly C17. the stairs to tt9 attic carefully worked on the twist in the second flight; the attic itself costly C17, with framed muntin and panel partitioning and original doors, and the collar beam trusses have tenons to both collars and purlins. An apparently C17 gate divides off the cellar stairs - one cellar under the North West room has a groyne vault. In all a small house of exceptional quality with some fine C17 and C18 work.House almost certainly built by Richard Churchey, a local merchant, c1650, although described as 'recently built' in 1688, known to have been reshaped by Ireson c1740-1750. William of Orange slept in South-West bedroom for at least one night in 1688. 'The Dogs' refer to two stone greyhounds, formerly as finials to the now vanished East gateposts, and these appear on the Churchey Arms.(VAG Report, unpublished SRO, 1977; Sweetman G, History of Wincanton, c1904).

Listing NGR: ST7133728484

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

416749

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Wincanton Guide Book, ()
Sweetman, G, History of Wincanton, (1903)

End of official list entry