Belvedere Manor

Reasons for Designation

* Despite some fairly significant external alterations this is essentially a late medieval cross passage house * Its historic plan form over its long history is readable * It preserves a significant proportion of internal historic fabric of C16 date including fireplaces and carpentry * It has strong group value with the adjacent Grade II* listed St Mary's Church

Details

NEMPNETT THRUBWELL

1763/0/10006 NEMPNETT THRUBWELL 15-FEB-08 Belvedere Manor

GV II House, former parsonage. Probably C16 with later additions and C20 alterations. MATERIALS: Local rubble stone, coursed to front and random to the other elevations. Fenestration is late C20, though there is a C16 window with ovolo moulding. Double Roman tile roof with end stacks and an off-centre ridge stack. PLAN: Accretional plan consisting of a west-east range that was twice extended eastwards, prior to 1885. At the west end is a single storey lean-to, built at right angles to the main part of the house, which has been extended to the north, north east and south in the C20. It is of lesser interest. EXTERIOR: The front (south) elevation is of five bays; of which the three westernmost bays represent the original extent of the house. It appears to have been re-fronted when the east end of the house was first extended. A vertical joint in the masonry between bays four and five indicates where it was then extended by a further bay, prior to the late C19. A late C20 entrance porch towards the west end is flanked by timber casement windows with camber-headed brick lintels. Further right is a pair of French doors, also beneath a brick lintel, and to the right hand end are two two-light windows with a continuous concrete lintel. At first floor are five C20 dormer windows. The rear elevation has been extended northwards with the addition of a single storey conservatory that serves as a link corridor and runs most of the length of the house. The original external north wall of the house is visible through the glazing of the corridor and consists of, from right to left: a three-light mullioned window with ovolo moulding; the four-centred doorway to the cross passage; and a flat-headed opening to the stairs that lead to the first floor. There are two further openings into the main body of the house towards the left hand end. INTERIOR: The right hand partition of the cross passage retains its head beam supported on timber corbels. The principal rooms to either side of the cross passage each have a large open fireplace with substantial timber bressumer and ceiling beams with run out stops. A cupboard flanking the fireplace in the left hand room probably marks the location of the original winder stairs, which have since been replaced with a staircase accessed from the rear link corridor. The right hand room has a six panel framed ceiling with chamfered beams. It does not extend the full length of the room and was originally a smaller room that has been enlarged. At first floor is a late C16 or early C17 flat-headed doorway with run-out stops to the jambs. The roof structure is considered to be C19 and C20. HISTORY: Belvedere Manor was originally the parsonage of St Mary's Church and a Glebe Terrier of 1637 describes the house as comprising two lower rooms, two chambers, two outhouses and a garden. It was known as Glebe Farm prior to 1885. SOURCES: Glebe Terrier of Nempnett Thrubwell (1637), D\D/rg/43, Somerset Record Office

REASON FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: Belvedere Manor is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Despite some fairly significant external alterations this is essentially a late medieval cross passage house * Its historic plan form over its long history is readable * It preserves a significant proportion of internal historic fabric of C16 date including fireplaces and carpentry * It has strong group value with the adjacent St Mary's Church

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

504236

Legacy System:

LBS

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