Details
LUSTLEIGH MAPSTONE
SX 7881
9/199 Uphill, The Great Hall, and
- Oaknuve (formerly listed as
23.8.55 The Old Manor House)
GV I
Formerly The Old Manor House. 3 houses, formerly a rectory. Some believe the
building was originally the manor house. Late medieval; often regarded as C14, although
it could be later. Restored, with considerable additions at the north-west ane south-east
ends,between 1833 and 1838 for Samuel Whiddon, curate of Lustleigh. The hall further
restored in 1888. The medieval house appears to be comprised entirely within
'Uphill'and 'The Great Hall'. Rendered exterior, probably mostly of stone,
although some of the early C19 chimneystacks are of brick. Slated roofs; a glebe
terrier of 1727 said that the rectory house and its outbuildings were 'covered with
reed'. The hall has a cluster of 3 early C19 octagonal chimneys at north-east end
and a plain rendered chimney at south-west end. Plan consists of a medieval T-
shaped building containing an open hall 2-storeyed cross-wing. Double range added
on south-east side of cross-wing, partly overlapping it, and a single range added
on north-west side; entrance-porch and stair hall inserted in south-east angle of
medieval hall and cross-wing. Minor C20 additions at north-west corner. 2
storeys, except for open hall and single-storeyed C20 additions; south-west
section of double range has 3 storeys because of change in ground level. The
south-east front has a lean-to entrance-porch with battlements and angle-buttress.
Large glazed doorway having a pointed arch with hood-mould; the small-paned doors
appear to be C20 replacements, but the fanlight with small-paned Gothic tracery
seems to be early C19. In left-hand wall a blind doorway with 4-centred arch and
hood-mould. To left of porch is a moulded granite doorway, probably a late C19
replacement, with 4-centred arch and cement hood-mould, the latter probably early
C19; door has patterned Gothic glazing. To left of door is a moulded granite
doorway, probably a late C19 replacement, with 4-centred arch and cement hood-
mould, the latter probably early C19; door has patterned Gothic glazing. To left
of door is a late C19 Gothic window, probably of Bath stone, with 2 ogee-headed
lights under a straight head with hood-mould. The double range to right, which
towers above the medieval hall, has well-preserved early C19 Gothic detail,
including mullioned-and-transomed windows with thin, straight hood-moulds, the
lights having cusped heads and patterned leaded panes. The north-west front has 4
openings in hall range. The second opening from the right is a chamfered granite
doorway with a round arch, probably of C16; door, deeply recessed, has C19 Gothic
glazing. Right-hand opening has a C20 round-headed window without glazing-bars.
Above it is a semi-dormer containing a 2-light medieval wooden window with
trefoiled heads to the lights. Left of the doorway is a late C19 Gothic window,
probably of Bath stone. This is of 2 mullioned-and-transomed lights under a
pointed arch, the upper parts of the lights trefoil-headed and with a quatrefoil
light above them in the head of the arch. At the left-hand end is a C20 round-
arched window like that on the right. Flanking the doorway and at right-hand end
of the front are buttresses that may be early. At the extreme right-hand end is a
lead rainwater-head moulded with a cartouche having in its centre N H S 1769;
rainwater pipe much later. To left of hall range the gable of cross-wing has an
early C19 Gothic wood window in each storey. Ground-storey window has 2-mullioned-
and-transomed lights, the lower parts containing 6-paned casements, the upper parts
with glazing-bars forming pointed arches. Second-storey window has pointed head,
the lower part containing a 2-light casement with leaded panes, the upper part
having glazing-bars forming 2 pointed arches. Behind the cross-wing the rear,
right-hand gable of the double range has an early C19 small-paned window with a
pointed arch.
Interior, though remodelled in early C19, contains 2 of the most interesting
medieval roofs in Devon. These have been restored (with great care) in C19, but
retain much original work; the trusses, purlins and windbraces are exposed to view
from the rooms below. The hall range is basically one large room with an open
gallery at each end; the south-west gallery, which has an enclosed room below it,
has C19 Gothic wood detail, but the north-west gallery appears to be entirely C20.
The north-east gable has a very large granite fireplace with hollow-moulded opening
and splayed sides, the jambs and lintel each of a single piece of stone and the
fireplace-back of ashlar; worn stops, one perhaps a diagonal-cut. The fireplace is
probably a later insertion, since its chimney buries the feet of the cross-wing
roof-trusses. In south-west gable is a curved recess, known to have formerly
contained a winding staircase. The roof is of 8 bays with gable-trusses, the
trusses of 2 alternating designs. The 2 south-western trusses are C19 replicas,
one carved with date 1888. Both types of truss are side-pegged jointed crucks, but
unusual in that the principal rafter is not cut back to take the curved foot. All
have very large, hollow-moulded cusped arch-braces with struts rising to collar and
principal rafter, the feet of the arch-braces resting alternately on a shaft with
moulded cap and base or on a small, inverted 5-sided pyramid. 3 tiers of purlins
and 1 tier of curved windbraces; angled ridge-piece with triangular strengthening-
piece beneath it. One type of truss reduces the width of its principal rafter just
below the collar; the other does so just below the top tier of purlins. Lowest
tier of purlins butts against the principal rafters and is chamfered with step-
stops. Middle tier is double hollow-moulded on the underside with pyramid stops;
it butts alternate trusses, but in the others is clasped to the principal rafter by
one of the struts rising from the arch-brace. Third tier is chamfered with step-
stops, alternately butting the trusses or clapsed to the principals by curved
struts rising from the collar. Windbraces are chamfered and stopped, running from
principal rafter to middle tier of purlins, the lowest tier of purlins being
tenoned to them; only 2 windbraces could be examined closely, and of these one had
a diagonal-cut stop and the other a pyramid-stop. Building work in 1984 exposed a
wooden lintel in the south-east wall, across the fifth and sixth bays from the
north-east, supported by tenoned arch-braces which probably spring from the feet of
the adjoining trusses; this may have been the original entrance. The cross-wing is
divided between Uphill and The Great Hall, the roof and floor timbers being exposed
on both sides. Ground storey has a square-section wood post in centre carrying a
long, splayed wood bracket which is chamfered with convex stops; this in turn
supports a chamfered longitudinal beam with stops that are simply vertical cuts.
The bracket and beam appear to have been removed on the north-west side of the
post. The roof is of 3 bays with gable-trusses and light intermediate trusses.
The trusses (their feet concealed) have cusped hollow-moulded arch- braces rising
from shafts with moulded caps. On the straight collars stand king-struts
supporting triangular strengthening-pieces below the angled ridge-piece. Cusped
braces rise from the struts to the ridge-piece, as if to imitate crown-posts. The
intermediate trusses consist of a light collar tenoned to 2 common rafters and
supported by cusped arch-braces; on the collars stand king-struts and cusped arch
braces matching those on the main trusses. There is a single tier of butt purlins
and 2 tiers of cusped, hollow-moulded wind- braces. The timbers carry an unusual
and varied range of 35 carpenters' marks (none have so far been discovered on the
hall roof). The nearest parallel to this roof at present known is at the former
rectory (now Glebe Cottage), West Camel, Somerset. It may be worth noting that in
1403 Lustleigh Manor was acquired by the Wadham family of Ilminster. 'Imitation
crown posts' are also known in Devon at Old Rectory, Cheriton Bishop and Clifford
Barton, Drewsteignton.
Of the early C19 work, The Great Hall has the main staircase, a straight wooden
flight with cut strings, shaped step-ends and slender shaped wood balusters;
balustrade scrolled at foot. Second storey south-west room of double range has
gable window with 4-centred arch rising from shafts with moulded caps; Gothic
panelled shutters. Third-storey room above has stone chimneypiece with 5-sided
columns and a frieze carved with trefoil-headed panels. Interior of Oaknuve not
inspected, but the main staircase from The Great Hall is said to continue up to its
north-east wall.
Outbuildings: north-west of the house and now belonging to Uphill are the rectory
barn and stable block. These are separately listed.
Sources: Photographs of Old Manor and report on West Camel Rectory in National
Monuments Record. Research on history of Old Manor by Mr Robinson of Uphill, using
material in Devon Record Office (glebe terriers, tithe map, 1854 report by Lt.Col.
William Harding) and Cecil Torr's "Small Talk at Wreyland". Information on Wadham
family from Col. Pellew of Waye Farm. Carpenters' marks at Uphill recorded by Mr
Robinson. Information on Cheriton Bishop and Drewsteignton houses from J R L
Thorp.
Listing NGR: SX7824581652
