Pale House

Details

BROADHEMBURYY KERSHELL ST 00 NE

2/84 Pale House - II*

House. Late medieval origins, remodelled in the C17, circa mid C17 south-east wing, extensive repairs carried out by the present owner over a period of 20 years. Rendered cob and stone, first floor of wing framed construction; slate roof, gabled at ends; left end stack and 2 axial stacks with stone rubble shafts, end stack to wing. Plan: L plan, the main range south-facing, a 3 room and cross passage plan, lower end to the right (east), hall stack backing on to the passage. There is a 4th room, an unheated dairy, at the extreme right (east) end. A 1 room plan south-east wing adjoins the lower end at right angles. The house originated as a medieval open hall house, although without inspecting the roof at time of survey (1987) it was not clear whether the house was open from end to end or part-floored originally. An odd arrangement of ceiling joists at the higher end of the hall suggests that the higher end partition of the hall may have been moved to the left (west) when the stack was inserted. By the early C17 the rooms appear to have functioned as a high quality inner room parlour at the left (west) end, the hall in the centre and a lower end kitchen. A C17 stair rises adjacent to the inner room stack, there was probably a second, external stair rising from the rear wall of the hall. In the circa mid C17 the south-east wing was added, providing a high quality chamber on the first floor over a service room. The wing is of framed construction on the first floor, unusual in Devon. A third flight of stairs rises between the wing and the main range. The dairy is probably an C18 addition. A small room at the rear of the passage may have been a C17 buttery addition. The plan form is intact, apart from some alterations at the rear of the passage to accommodate a C20 main stair. Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 5 window south front with a probably C20 gabled porch on posts to the through passage to right of centre with a wide C18 panelled front door, the top panels glazed. 3 and 4-light casement windows with square leaded panes, mostly C20 but on the pattern of earlier windows. The wing has a first floor oak mullioned window of 4-lights on the inner (west) return and, on the east side 2 2-light unglazed mullioned windows with C20 external glass. Interior: Very rich in C16 and C17 carpentry, exposed and repaired over the last 20 years. The passage has a plank and muntin screen at the lower side and a fine late medieval doorframe with a rounded head to the rear: this now leads into the former buttery which has a C17 mullioned window. The hall has an open fireplace with a bread oven lined with extremely small handmade bricks. The ceiling carpentry is rather puzzling: the axial ceiling beam is cut into the top of the higher end plank and muntin screen and exposed joists survive. Projecting from the screen, exposed axial joists about 1 metre in length project into the room, similar to a deep jetty but the ends of studs of a first floor partition project into the room at the end of the axial joists. These have now been trimmed off but were originally about ½ metre long. A chamfered doorframe, formerly within the hall on the rear wall, but now partitioned off from the hall, may have given access to a rear stair. The inner room has an exposed crossbeam and joists and a high quality moulded stone chimney-piece with a Tudor arch and good stops; a timber lintel, perhaps of an earlier fireplace, has been exposed above the stone chimney-piece. A winder stair rises in the rear left corner with a good C17 door at the bottom of the staircase. The lower end kitchen has a large open fireplace with a chamfered lintel and a bread oven with a recess or second oven in the fireback. The dairy retains a C19 pump. The first floor rooms still open one into the other with some new partitions at the right end. The first floor of the wing has a good moulded stone fireplace with a Tudor arched lintel. The framing, unusual in Devon, is exposed internally and was exposed externally until 25 years ago. The 2-light mullioned window of the east wall is integral with the framing. A framed partition flanks the north side of the stair at this end of the house and the stair cell is open to the roof timbers, the thatch being rough plastered. A number of good C17 doors and doorframes survive on the ground and first floor. Roof: The main range is of side-pegged jointed cruck construction: apex not seen at time of survey, but parts of the roof are smoke-blackened (information from the owner) and sooted thatch may survive. The roof trusses in the wing have lap dovetailed collars and are presumably circa mid C17. An exceptionally interesting high quality traditional house with a wealth of internal features.

Listing NGR: ST0796306058

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

87087

Legacy System:

LBS

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