Kerswell Farmhouse

Summary

C17 farmhouse, recorded with a datestone of 1673, extended in the late C19 and again in 2004.

Reasons for Designation

The C17 Kerswell Farmhouse is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as a vernacular building of C17 origins it retains a good level of early building fabric, including early decorative internal joinery;
* Architectural interest: it retains clear indications of its historic development and demonstrates the vernacular traditions of the area in much of its built form;
* Group value: it has group value with the early-C19 granary 20m to the east of the farmhouse (Grade II).

History

Kerswell is a C17 farmhouse. It is recorded as having a date stone of ‘1673’ in its gable end, however this is no longer extant. A modern date plaque has been added over the front entrance. A two-storey out-shut was added to the rear in the late-C19 (although not reflected on the Ordnance Survey maps until the mid-C20). The rear elevation originally contained a horned-sash window and casements. At the high end of the C17 range the roof has been raised at eaves height on both sides. In 1988 the house interior was described as retaining a C19 cupboard with HL–hinges in the central room; the cupboard was removed in the 1990s and one of the ground-floor windows was re-opened. At around this time the front porch was added. In 2004 a single-storey rear cross wing was added, removing part of the late-C19 out-shut wall on the ground-floor and new casement windows were added above.

Details

C17 farmhouse, recorded with a datestone of 1673 (no longer extant), extended in the late C19 and again in 2004.

MATERIALS: colour-washed render over stone and cob, all under slate roofs.

PLAN: rectangular plan on a north-to-south alignment.

EXTERIOR: a two-storey cottage. The front elevation (east) is five bays. To the left is the single-bay lower end with a three-light, nine pane window on the first and ground floor. To the right is the high end; it has four bays. The ground floor includes a C20 pitched-roof porch entrance with timber-and-glazed front door and a modern ‘1673’ date plaque, two three-light and a nine-pane casement window. On the first floor are two three-light casement windows in the centre flanked by two-light casements on either side. The windows have timber lintels and stone cills. The roof above this high end has an off-centre rendered ridge stack. The north gable end has a side entrance and further casement windows, including one within a single-storey cat-slide addition. To the rear is a two-storey late-C19 out-shut extension that projects from the centre of the C17 range. Also extending from the rear at a right angle is an early-C21 single-storey pitched-roof wing. To the south of the rear elevation is the lower end of the C17 range with a single-storey cat-slide addition, casement windows with stone cills and a further entrance on the west face. The south gable end has casement windows and a C17 stone end stack with a drip course.

INTERIOR: the C17 range has three-room plan with an off-centre through passage. Some doorways have been blocked and access to the north-end room is now made via the later rear corridor. The south-end room has a large open fireplace with a chamfer-and-stopped timber bressumer and a brick-lined bread oven. The central room has an ovolo-moulded bressumer over an open fireplace. Both the south and central room have exposed ceiling beams including two ovolo-moulded chamfered-and-stopped cross-axial beams in the middle room. There are four and six-panelled doors throughout of various phases. The dog-leg staircase leading of the central passage has a late-C19 banister. There is a further stone fireplace with timber bressumer on the first floor. The C17 wooden-pegged collar-roof trusses survive in the roof within a later C19 and C20 structure. The C21 wing to the rear contains a modern kitchen that is not of special interest*.


*Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the C21 interior of this modern wing is not of special architectural or historic interest.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

91510

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
Parkham Parish Tithe Award Map (circa 1840)

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