Saveock Manor Farmhouse

SW 74 SE KEA

1/118 Saveock Manor Farmhouse

GV II*

Farmhouse. Circa mid C18 but incorporating part of earlier house. Painted rubble walls with incised stucco simulating ashlar to front. Hipped roof with half-hipped rear wing (east) and outshut in angle. Scantle slate survive to east, west, and south hip but front replaced with corrugated asbestos and rear with asbestos slate. Brick chimneys over side walls and to rear of wing. 2-room wide double depth central stair plan plus single-storey lean-to to west and incorporating part of earlier house to east. Hip-roofed porch to rear entrance; steps to front entrance, originally with Tuscan porch (1 column base survives). 2 storeys. Symmetrical 5-window north front. All original 12-pane hornless sashes with wide glazing bars and internal ovolo-mouldings. Mostly original crown glass. Granite ashlar plinth over rubble footings. Granite sills. Five granite steps of diminishing width lead to central round-headed doorway with original wide door of 3 vertical top panels over wide bottom panel. Plain fanlight. Stucco repair surrounding doorway shows extent of removed Tuscan distyle porch. East wall displays evidence of earlier house. 3 tall openings to each floor. Blocked except for left-hand windows. First floor left-hand window is mid C18 8-pane sash in reduced width opening. C20 window below in reduced opening with cambered brick arch, possibly originally central doorway of 5-window front. Blocked openings are slate-hung except for ground floor right. Interior survives virtually intact from circa mid C18. Original 6-panel and 2-panel doors with ogee or ovolo-moulded architraves; window shutters to front rooms open- well open-string stair with trailing rose to string, turned column balusters turned circa late C19 bulbous newel with ball finial; ramped oak handrail and moulded dado rail. Moulded plaster ceiling cornices to front rooms with modillions to right-hand (west) room and with dentils to vestibule. Round-headed archway to kitchen and a further round-headed arches from first floor galleried landing. Fine robust arabesque decoration to tympanum of arch leading to central room. West chamber has small dressing room to rear with moulded plaster ceiling cornice. An original eared fireplace surround survives in chamber over kitchen. Pine roof structures are mid C18 fastened with pegs and some nails. Roof space over kitchen wing has plastered room, presumably for grain storage, and is linked by small doorway to main roof space, also with evidence for having been plastered. It is said that King Charles took refuge here after battle, (possibly the Battle of Tresillian). An unusually complete mid C18 house with good quality interior and rare survival of mid C18 fenestration.

Listing NGR: SW7672644435