Murlinch End

Summary

House; early C19, possibly incorporating earlier fabric to the rear; various extensions and mid- and late-C20 alterations.

Reasons for Designation

Murlinch End is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a prominent early-C19 house that has a pleasingly-proportioned composition and architectural character.

Historic interest:

* it was formerly part of the former village malthouse and makes a notable contribution to the character and historic development of Pitminster.

History

Murlinch End dates principally to the early C19 but may incorporate an earlier structure. A building is shown in this location on the First Series (Sheet 21) Ordnance Survey map of 1809 although its form is not especially discernible. It is depicted clearly on the tithe map of 1839 (original date of 1838) which shows a T-shaped building, orientated north-east to south-west, with a rear range attached to the western corner. The accompanying tithe apportionment records it as ‘House, Malthouse and Garden’ and that it was owned and occupied by William Goodland who was described as a ‘maltster’ in a newspaper article from 1823 (see Sources).

A new rear range was added at right angles to the northern corner of the house in 1840. A datestone records its construction and is also inscribed with the initials W G, for William Goodland. This was later used as a slaughterhouse and butcher’s shop; a function that continued until the later C20 when the range was converted to two dwellings (St Mary’s Cottage and Calderdale Cottage, not listed). It is unclear if the existing rear range at the western corner was removed at the same time, but it was no longer present by 1887 (First Edition Ordnance Survey map), although the part nearest to the house may survive but has been altered. A three-light casement window of probable C18 date previously in this part of the building, which may have been brought from elsewhere, was replaced in the early C21. William Goodland, a maltster, and his sister Betty are recorded in 1871 (Census record, see Sources) as living at Pitminster Village Malthouse, as it appears to have then been known. A number of other people are recorded at the premises in the Census, among them a working maltster, a working maltster gardener, a journeyman miller and a journeyman carpenter.

Murlinch House appears to have previously had a central front porch which is evident on Ordnance Survey maps from 1887 to 1965 but is now missing. The house was subdivided into two dwellings (Murlinch End and Hillview) probably in the mid-C20 but reverted to a single house called Murlinch End in 1992. Various repairs and refurbishment, including the replacement of most of the mid-C20 metal windows and the addition of a small lean-to extension on north-east side, were carried out in the early C21 with the necessary consents.

Details

House; early C19, possibly incorporating earlier fabric to the rear; various extensions and C20 and C21 alterations.

MATERIALS: it is constructed of lias stone, which is mostly rendered and painted, under slate, clay tile and zinc sheet roofs with brick gable-end chimney stacks to the principal range. The single-bay addition at the north-east corner is also rendered and has an asbestos slate roof that is hipped at one end and a brick stack. There is also a tall brick stack to one of the rear lean-tos.

PLAN: the house (Murlinch End) has an L-shaped plan comprising a principal range with a late-C19 single-storey entrance range on the north-east side breaks forwards, a probable mid-C19 two-storey, addition of one bay at the north-east corner, and several single-storey lean-to additions at the rear.

EXTERIOR: the building faces south-east and has a symmetrical front elevation with deep eaves. At the centre of the ground floor is a pair of French doors of probable late-C20 date which mark the position of the original entrance. To either side is an early-C19 20-pane timber sash window, and there are three similar first-floor windows which have 16 panes. Attached to the right is a late-C19 single-storey extension which projects forwards. A door under a timber hood in its gable wall serves as the principal entrance. The windows to the side and rear elevations are mostly early-C21 hardwood casements with slimline double-glazing. The windows in the end gables includes a first-floor C19 sash window with marginal glazing in north-east wall and a mid-C20 metal-framed casement of one light within a round-arched opening in the opposite wall. A former doorway in the south-west gable wall has been replaced with a window. The lean-tos along the rear elevation have monopitched roofs, and the one to the right-hand end extends beyond the north-west corner of the house but has been truncated on its south-east side. It may be all that remains of the rear range that is shown here on the mid-C19 tithe map.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

271075

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Websites
1871 Census of Pitminster Somerset, accessed 23 April 2024 from http://www.parkhouse.org.uk/transcr/rg102367census1871pitminster.pdf

Other
Plan of the Parish of Pitminster, in the County of Somerset, 1839 (original date 15 March 1838)
Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, Wednesday 22 October 1823

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