Cullacott And Attached Open Fronted Cartshed

An unoccupied farmhouse of exceptional importance, dating from the early 16th century with improvements and additions from the mid-16th, late 16th and early 17th centuries. The building has a complex structural history which can still be read in its remarkably intact fabric.

Construction and Materials

The walls are built of slate stone rubble (shillet) with some cob (particularly to the rear) and a small area rebuilt in concrete blocks. Some sections have granite quoins and slate hanging. Dressed granite is used for some doorways and windows. The roof is slate with gable ends. Two axial stacks serve the building: a large slate stone rubble stack to the left of centre (lower end) with drip course and weatherings, and an ashlar stack to the right in the angle of the wing, constructed with a finely moulded granite cap and drip-course (currently partially obscured by ivy).

Development History

The house was originally probably built as a three-room and through-passage plan, open to the roof throughout and divided by low partitions. In the mid-16th century the lower end was ceiled and a room over the passage was jettied into the hall; a fireplace in a front lateral stack was added to the hall at this time. In the late 16th century the inner room and chamber above were rebuilt or enlarged and a two-storey wing was added to its front, probably contemporary with the carved date of 1579 on the lintel of the inner room window (which reads "ANNO DOM 1579 BY WATER BLYGETE", though the date is slightly unclear with only the first two numbers being certain).

In the early 17th century a lower end stack and fireplace were probably inserted and an additional room built beyond as a dairy. A contemporary two-storey porch was added at the rear, perhaps when the house was turned back to front. Possibly in the late 17th or early 18th century an additional porch was formed at the front of the lower end by a first floor room open underneath.

By the 18th century the house must have decreased in importance as no significant alterations of that date are visible. In the mid-19th century a new farmhouse was built a short distance away and the old house was then inhabited only by farmworkers. The upper end was used for storage and animal housing. The last farmworker moved out of the lower end in the mid-20th century, and since then the house has been unoccupied.

Exterior Description

The building is mainly two storeys except for the hall which remains open to the roof, never having been ceiled. The asymmetrical front has a central late 16th century single-storey gabled porch with 19th century carved barge-boards with pendant finial. The porch has a four-centred granite arched doorway with roll and hollow chamfer and leaf motif in the spandrels. A traditional 19th century half door opens into the porch, which has wooden seats either side. The heavy plank front door to the passage is possibly a re-facing of a 17th century door. The door-frame is finely ovolo-moulded and square-headed with elaborate stops of inscribed fleur-de-lys type flower and carved vase beneath.

To the left of the porch is a three-light 19th century casement window on the ground floor with a similar two-light window above and to the left; both have glazing bars. To their left is a small projecting gabled wing or porch supported by a wall under its right hand side with a single post below its front left hand corner. It is slate hung on its gable end with a two-light 19th century casement to its right hand side with HL hinges and glazing bars. Underneath this room a 19th century plank door leads into the ground floor lower end room.

To the right of the central single-storey porch is a small two-light 19th century window on the first floor and a single granite framed light below with chamfer. To the right of this is the projection for the lateral hall stack which has offsets and is cut off at the eaves. To the right of the stack in the same line is the framing of a granite mullion window now used as a doorway. It has four lights with mullions and cill now removed, double hollow chamfer with king mullion and hoodmould above.

To the right of this the roof level rises abruptly for the stair of the two-storey section at the higher end. On the ground floor is an adjacent former mullion window, also now a doorway with its mullions and cill removed. It is identical to the previous mullion window except that its lintel is carved with the inscription "ANNO DOM 1579 BY WATER BLYGETE". Immediately above this window is an inserted loading door.

A small two-storey one-cell wing then projects from the right. In the angle between it and the main block on the first floor is a very small slit opening for the garderobe. On the ground floor the wing has a narrow four-centred granite arched doorway to the right with chamfer and plain stops. To its left is a single light granite framed window with two iron stanchion bars and chamfer; to its left is a two-light granite mullion window with chamfer and hood mould above. Neither window has contained glass. Above the single light window and doorway is a slate drip-course. On the first floor left of centre is a granite framed window with the central mullion removed and 20th century fixed light inserted.

At the left hand lower gable end of the house is a two-light wooden mullioned window with ovolo moulding and continuous slate drip-course and other drip-course higher up the gable.

At the rear of the house is a large central storeyed porch with gabled slate roof. This has a square-headed doorway with ovolo-moulded wooden frame and plank door, slate drip-course above. To its left is a small single light granite framed window with no glass. Above the doorway is a two-light granite mullion window with chamfer and hood mould plus a slate drip-course above. On the right hand side of the porch at the first floor is a single light granite framed window without glass. On the left hand side of the porch at ground level is a low opening leading into a small compartment lit by the single light on the front wall, possibly this was a dog kennel.

Immediately to the right of the porch is a probably 18th century lean-to outbuilding built mainly of cob in poor condition. To its right on the first floor is a three-light 19th century casement window with glazing bars. To the left of the porch a small early 20th century lean-to outside lavatory is built against the rear wall of the hall. Immediately to its left is a rectangular projection housing the stairs rising at the back of the inner room. This has been partly rebuilt in concrete blocks but retains a small single light partly granite framed window opening. At the higher gable end is a ground floor window opening for the inner room, possibly original although all framing has been renewed.

A single-storey former cart shed is attached at the end of the projecting wing.

Interior

The interior is remarkably unaltered and retains a very high percentage of original and early features which illustrate the high status of the house in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Lower End Room

The room to the lower side of the through-passage is entered through a wooden ovolo-moulded doorframe with worn stops and 17th century plank door on which each plank has beaded edges, with spear-ended strap hinges. There is a large open fireplace with chamfered wooden lintel which has hollow step stops. A built-in wooden seat sits below the window with an adjoining wall to the passage including a small section of wooden partition screening the seat from the doorway. The room has a slate slab floor.

Passage

The passage also has a slate slab floor. On the far side of the door into the lower room is an adjoining wooden ovolo-moulded doorframe and identical door leading to a framed staircase which divides near the top, one side leading to the chamber above the lower room and the other leading to the chamber above the passage and the chamber above the rear porch, although access to these is now blocked. Either side of the passage is a solid wall. The wall dividing hall from the passage shows no sign of a doorway and from the evidence of a beam above is likely to be a replacement of a plank and muntin screen.

Hall

The cob wall at the upper end of the hall is original and has a blocked doorway at its rear end. On the hall side the plaster shows traces of painted murals although these are so fragmentary as to be unrecognisable as any particular pattern. The hall has never been ceiled. Its roof consists of two bays of principal rafters with curved feet, well cut but unchamfered, morticed at the apex with ridge resting in a V-notch. Cranked collar is morticed into the trusses. Two tiers of trenched purlins are chamfered and stopped. The whole is moderately smoke-blackened particularly towards the passage end. The second truss which is over the partition to the passage is also moderately smoke-blackened.

Beside the trusses a first floor stud and panel partition has been inserted which extends up to head height and is jettied over the wall dividing hall from passage. The jetty projects approximately one foot and has chamfered joists curved at the ends. On the front wall of the hall is the blocked fireplace with massive granite lintel and monolithic granite jambs. On the rear wall with chamfered wooden lintel is evidence for a tall window.

Inner Room

A solid cob wall, with doorway no longer visible, divides the hall from the inner room. The rough beams in the inner room were almost certainly designed to take a plaster ceiling. From the traces of a decorative frieze in the plasterwork of the walls it is likely that the ceiling was moulded. The room has an enclosed wooden framed staircase and slate slab floor. The inner room fireplace is on the wall adjoining the wing. It is granite framed with a flat chamfer, partially blocked with the stops not visible.

To the rear of the inner room on one side is access to a small cellar room whilst on the other is a doorway to a winder stone newel stair. The doorway is wooden framed with chamfered depressed Tudor arch and jambs, with a studded probably original door.

Upper Chambers

The chamber above the inner room has a granite framed fireplace and moulded hearth-stone with chamfer and pyramidal stops. There is a doorway to the adjoining chamber in the wing which is identical to that leading to the stairs below. In the wing chamber another similar but smaller doorway leads to a garderobe contained in the angle between wing and main block whose shaft is now covered by a stone slab.

The roof construction over the higher end and the wing differs from that over the hall. It also has principals with curved feet morticed at the apex with trenched purlins, but its collars are curved and halved onto the principals by an unusual form of elongated 'double' dovetail joint with the collar notched both at the top and the bottom where it meets the truss.

The chamber above the passage has an ovolo-moulded wooden doorframe with double hollow stepped stops and 17th century door similar to the lower room. The chamber above the rear porch has an identical doorway but with no door. It also has a small granite framed fireplace with chamfer and pyramid stops.

The chamber above the lower room is entered from the passage side through an ovolo-moulded wooden doorframe with worn stops and 17th century door similar to the others. The other doorway to the chamber is chamfered with hollow step stops and identical door. In this chamber the bases of trusses with curved feet are visible.

At the top of the stairs from the kitchen is a chamfered wooden doorframe with hollow step stops and identical door.

Significance

This house would be a remarkable survival in any area, but in Cornwall where there are relatively few medieval houses and where the quality and quantity of early interior woodwork is generally poor, it is of outstanding importance as a high quality vernacular late-medieval hall house with a virtually intact interior. Being unoccupied, the house is particularly vulnerable; its condition is now deteriorating quite rapidly and its internal woodwork is particularly at risk should water start to penetrate. An alternative potentially more serious danger is that repair and modernisation work might be undertaken without a sufficient understanding of the importance of the house.