Legars Upton Farmhouse

Details

CLYST ST LAWRENCE ST 00 SW 2/37 Legars Upton Farmhouse - - II

Farmhouse. Early C16 with major later C16 and C17 improvements, some C18 or C19 refurbishment, part was rebuilt in the early C20. Plastered cob on stone rubble footings with some stone rubble and brick patching; stone rubble stacks topped with C19 and C20 brick; thatch roof. Plan and development: 4-room-and-through-passage plan house facing west and built across the hillslope. At the left (south) end is the former kitchen with a gable- end stack. Between this kitchen and the hall is an unheated room which was probably used as a dairy or buttery. The hall has a projecting front lateral stack. The right (north) end room is separated from the hall by the passage. It was much rebuilt in the early C20 is now used as a kitchen. It has a projecting end stack. The early C16 house apparently had a 3-room-and-through-passage plan (the left end room is secondary). The surviving original roof indicates that the hall and inner room were open to the roof, divided by a low partition and heated by an open hearth fire. The inner room was floored over probably in the mid C16 and the chamber jettied into the upper end of the open hall whilst the open hearth fire was still in operation. The hall fireplace was added in the mid or late C16. The hall was floored over in the early C17 and the kitchen was added to the inner room end about the same time. Since the right end of the house was so much rebuilt in the early C20 it is not clear whether there was a parlour or service room there. The roof over this end was rebuilt in the early C20. The rest of the roof was refurbished somewhat earlier. It appears to be an C18 or C19 roof but it is all smoke-blackened. This is somewhat confusing unless one of the chimneys leaked badly into the roofspace. The sooting is not as heavy as that on the original trusses. In the C20 the inner room dairy/buttery and former kitchen were divided off as separate accommodation. The farmhouse is 2 storeys with a C19 single storey service block projecting at right angles to rear of the former kitchen. Exterior: irregular front fenestration with 5 ground floor windows and 4 first floor windows. Most are C19 and C20 casements with glazing bars but the first floor window at the left end is C17; an oak 2-light window with chamfered mullion. The passage front doorway is right of centre (alongside the hall stack) and it contains an early C20 plank door with a contemporary slate-roofed porch. A secondary doorway has been inserted left of centre and it contains an early C20 part-glazed plank door under a slate roofed hood on raking struts. Another contemporary plank door at the left end is to a W.C. The roof is hipped both ends. Interior: the right end room (the present kitchen) was largely rebuilt in the early C20 and no early carpentry shows here. The hall side of the passage is an oak plank-and-muntin screen; its muntins are chamfered with step stops and it includes a doorway with a cambered head. It is probably late C16 - early C17 in date. In the hall there is a large stone rubble fireplace with a cambered and chamfered oak lintel. There is evidence of an internal jetty at the upper end. Tne early C17 crossbeam is richly moulded with no stops and the half beam across the front of the jetty has a different moulding and step stops. The upper end crosswall is plastered over and the doorway through it is blocked. No carpentry is exposed in the inner room dairy/buttery. The former kitchen has a C17 chamfered and step-stopped crossbeam. The fireplace here is blocked although it appears to be an C18 or C19 rebuild in brick. 2 of the original roof trusses survive, one each end of the hall. They are plastered over below ceiling level but their shape indicates that they are jointed crucks. Both are heavily smoke-blackened from the original open hearth fire and the wattle-and-daub infil of the upper end truss is sooted on the hall side. Apart from the section of the roof rebuilt in the early C20 the rest probably dates from the C18 or C19. At this time the roof was raised a little. It is carried on a series of crudely finished A-frame trusses with spiked and pegged lap-jointed collars. The blackening of these timbers is attributed to a leaking chimney.

Listing NGR: ST0227500828

Legacy

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Legacy System number:

86797

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LBS

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