Appledore Barton

Reasons for Designation

The Building Preservation Notice shall be upheld, and Appledore Barton has been designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

* It is an example of an evolved vernacular building, with origins before c. 1700, that demonstrates significant regional building traditions. * Despite later alterations, it preserves significant evidence of its original plan form and function as a farmhouse. * There are a number of surviving internal features, including elements of the roof structure and joinery. * Many of the alterations provide important evidence for the development of the farmhouse over time.

Details

BURLESCOMBE

1590/0/10016 APPLEDORE 29-JUL-09 Appledore Barton

II Appledore Barton is a two-storey farmhouse with C17 origins, C18 alterations and C19 extensions. It is constructed of mixed rubble and cob, rendered and painted, with rubble extensions with red brick detailing. The roof is of corrugated asbestos with brick stacks. Most of the windows were replaced in the 1970s.

PLAN: Oriented south-west to north-east, the principal domestic accommodation lies at the centre of the building; a former three-cell cross-passage house, with further service rooms and a linhay (an open fronted animal shelter at ground level with a closed fodder store above). There is a large two-storey C19 extension to the north-east, as well as single storey C19 kitchen extensions to the north-west (rear).

EXTERIOR: The south-east (farmyard) elevation is rendered with irregularly spaced three-light timber windows. At its south-west end is a six-bay linhay. The domestic accommodation is to the north-east of the linhay.

The north-east gable of the house is plain. On the north-west elevation (rear) are a number of C19 lean-to extensions.

INTERIOR: The modern entrance to the house is through the extensions, which also house a garage and a series of service rooms including the kitchen with the remains of a C19 bread oven. The original north entrance, with a wide plank door, leads from the kitchen into the cross-passage with the former south entrance opposite, now partially blocked to form a window.

To the right (south) lies the former service range, converted into a sitting room with a C19 dark marble fireplace inserted into a larger fireplace; the stop-chamfered bressumer for the earlier fireplace survives partially embedded in the wall. A doorway through a rear partition wall gives access to two small timber staircases; that to the south leads to two inter-connecting bedrooms, that to the north (the main staircase) provides access to a landing, a bathroom and three bedrooms.

Immediately to the north of the cross-passage lies the hall with the remains of a large stone fireplace with a massive timber bressumer, much altered in the 1970's, and evidence of some moulded plaster coving. A third narrow timber stair gives access from the hall to a sixth bedroom to the north.

Also to the north of the cross-passage, a corridor runs the length of the ground floor, at the rear. It provides access to the former parlour which has a blocked three-light window and joist-slots of a ceiling in the chamfered beams. Beyond the parlour is the C19 extension to the north-east end of the building; latterly both rooms were used as agricultural stores.

The first floor includes six bedrooms and a bathroom accessed by three separate staircases and a number of inter-connecting lobbies. A long corridor to the rear provides first-floor access to the large C19 extension at the far north-east end of the building, which also has access via a flight of external stone stairs on the north elevation.

The south-western bedroom has an early-C19 fireplace inserted above the large former kitchen fireplace. An inter-connecting lobby between this room and the adjacent bedroom to the north has the remains of a timber-framed chamber with hand-forged hooks in the ceiling; given the location of this chamber above the original kitchen fireplace, this may represent the remains of a smoke-bay or curing chamber.

The roof survives only in part and is much altered. The remains of three original trusses survive within the roof space. At the south-west end of the central block is a jointed cruck truss, believed to be early-C17. The end of the blades can be seen in the bathroom and the bedroom immediately north of the curing chamber. North-east of the hall stack is a second truss with a cambered collar and chamfered timbers. To the north-east of the hall are the remains of a closed truss. All the timbers are smoke blackened above the ceiling levels.

Throughout the building are a number of ceiling beams, both spine-beams and cross-beams, several of massive proportions with large chamfers and stops, as well as some smaller elements with finer chamfers and other partially exposed evidence for internal timber framing. The joinery includes a series of doors of both C18 and C19 date including six-panelled raised and fielded doors, as well as large plank-and-brace doors with strap hinges. The three staircases are very plain. The northern stair with moulded door frames at its foot and head appears to have been inserted c1700. The C19 central staircase has simple stick balusters, but is supported by an earlier hand-hewn structure. Opposite the main staircase is a pair of moulded timber doorways with stop chamfers, believed to be C17 or earlier. A similar moulded doorframe survives on the ground floor in the rear corridor giving access to a larder. The larder includes a cupboard with plank doors and strap hinges. There are a number of other wall-recessed cupboards throughout the building with simple joinery and plank doors.

SUBSIDAIRY FEATURES: The linhay is of pegged-timber construction including halved and pegged roof trusses suggesting a construction date of c1800, with evidence of considerable later alterations including insertion of modern block-walling and nailed repairs to the timbers. Lean-to sheds have been added to the north-west (rear) of the linhay. Immediately adjacent to the linhay, on the south side and currently only accessible through it, is a room with a single window to the south, in its east angle is a blocked doorway to the house.

HISTORY: Appledore is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, but there is no known documentary evidence relating to the construction of Appledore Barton. A detailed examination of the phasing of the building has been provided (M Watts, 2009). This suggested an origin in the early-C17, with the cob walls being the earliest elements, and further alterations c.1700 and later extension in the C19. The earliest mapping for the site is the first edition, 3 inch, Ordnance Survey map of 1802, which does record buildings on the site, although their exact footprint is indistinct. The Tithe Map of 1837 provides greater clarity and illustrates the buildings with a somewhat different layout to the present one: the farmhouse is set-back from the road whilst another building, oriented at right angles to the house, occupies the roadside. In the 1888 first edition, 1 inch, Ordnance Survey map the building occupying the roadside has been removed and the farmhouse has been extended to its present footprint. The extension may have incorporated part of the roadside structure. For the majority of the C20 the farmhouse was tenanted. It is understood that the thatched roof was lost during a fire in 1947. Appledore Barton has stood empty for a number of years.

SOURCES: Watts, M, Historic Building Appraisal (2009)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION Appledore Barton farmhouse is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

* It is an example of an evolved vernacular building, with origins before c. 1700, that demonstrates significant regional building traditions. * Despite later alterations, it preserves significant evidence of its original plan form and function as a farmhouse. * There are a number of surviving internal features, including elements of the roof structure and joinery. * Many of the alterations provide important evidence for the development of the farmhouse over time.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

506990

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Watts, M, Historic Building Appraisal, (2009)

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