Bowdler'S House

Bowdler's House is a farmhouse, now a house, located on the south-east side of The Square in Woolstaston. The building dates from the late 14th century with mid- to late 16th century alterations, partial remodelling around 1878, and a late 20th century addition.

The structure is timber framed with plastered infill, partly of cruck construction and partly rebuilt in red brick. The cross wing has been remodelled in painted brick and painted imitation plaster framing, with a plain tile roof. The building comprises a 3-bay former hall range of cruck construction with a projecting gabled 3-bay cross wing to the north-west. It rises to one storey and attic over the hall range and two storeys over the cross wing.

On the north-east front, the hall range features a large 16th century timber framed full gabled eaves dormer with closely-spaced uprights, two collars, curved v-struts, and a small quatrefoil in the apex, containing a 3-light wooden-framed metal casement. A brick stack stands in front of the ridge to the left (with 20th century brick above the roof), and a large rendered external end stack at the rear of the cross wing bears a pair of 19th century diamond brick shafts. The hall range has a 19th century three-light wooden casement, a boarded door to the right, and a late 20th century seven-panelled door to the left. The cross wing has a first-floor 19th century segmental-headed 2-light lattice casement and two ground-floor small lattice casements flanking a central boarded door.

The north-west front was remodelled in the 19th century with three first-floor 2-light wooden casements (the outer pair with gables above on scrolled brackets) and a ground-floor 2-light wooden casement to the left and 3-light wooden casement to the right flanking a central blocked doorway (now a 2-light casement) with a gabled timber porch on scrolled brackets. A painted brick one-storey 19th century addition adjoins to the right, and a large late 20th century timber framed addition adjoins the hall range to the south-east.

The interior preserves a former open hall of one long and one short bay with two full cruck trusses. The hall features a quarter-round moulded arch-braced former hall truss with central post and v-struts, and a former spere truss with cambered tie-beam and wattle and daub infill surviving in some square panels. The roof has chamfered purlins and wind braces. An inserted 16th century first floor in the long bay features heavily-moulded cross-beams and chamfered joists with run-out stops. A late 16th century stack was inserted in the short bay, incorporating a large open fireplace with a chamfered lintel.

The cross-wing roof has deep cambered tie beams, crown posts with curved down braces, chamfered longitudinal braces, and chamfered and stopped collar purlins. A rear ground-floor room has a chamfered cross-beamed ceiling with large joists and a large open fireplace with a chamfered and stopped segmental lintel. A chamfered ogee-headed doorway connects the hall range and cross wing. A winder staircase provides internal circulation.

The building appears to have originally consisted of a former open hall of two bays with the remains of a short screens passage bay to the left and a former solar cross wing at the high end, still retaining the now blocked doorway that once connected it to the hall.

The house was formerly the home of the Bowdler family. Reverend E. D. Carr was probably responsible for the circa 1878 remodelling of the cross wing when the house was occupied by his coachman. He also laid out the small village green onto which the cross wing faces.

The house forms part of a small farmstead group in a prominent position at the centre of the village, also including a barn to the north-east. Despite later alterations, the house is a very complete and fine example of a medieval hall and cross wing. In many details it is similar to Shootrough Farmhouse, Cardington.