Outbuilding Adjoining North West Of Small Hill Barton Farmhouse

OTTERHAM SX 19 SE 3/142 Outbuilding adjoining north west of Smallhill Barton Farmhouse GV II Outbuilding, possibly originally a domestic building. Probably C16. Local stone rubble; the north end extension has cob upper walls. Dry rag slate roof with gabled ends. There are no chimney stacks. The original building is rectangular, of 1-room plan with an entrance at the right hand (north) end of the east front and with an opposing entrance in the back (west) wall now blocked. The doorway at the left end of the front is probably later. There are signs of an internal lateral fireplace at the centre of the front wall; this would have been a later insertion if the building were originally open to the roof which is suggested by the 2 possibly smoke-blackened roof trusses. However the blackening of the roof may have been caused by something else. Because there is no evidence for it having been part of a larger building it might have been a detached service building. It is now attached at the front left hand corner to the lower end of the circa late C17 house, Smallhill Barton Farmhouse (qv). At the right (north) end a probably C18 farm building has been added. 2 storeys. The ground floor has a doorway to the right of centre with a C19 plank door. The doorway to the left is probably a later insertion and also has a C19 plank door, and both doorways have wooden lintels. Very small first floor window under the eaves above the right hand doorway; it has brick jambs and a slate sill. Adjoining to the right a later outbuilding extension with a single storey lean-to on the front with its walls made of large vertically set slates and with a rag slate roof; the right gable end of the main extension is rendered and has C20 garage doors. At the back of the extension a lean-to outshot which may have been pig-stys. There is a small lower single storey lean-to behind the original building. Interior : only 2 of the original trusses survive, they are at the left (south) end, the principals have short curved feet embedded in the walls, their apices are morticed and only 2 of the threaded purlins survive; as the apices are partly concealed it is difficult to see whether there was a ridge-piece. The principals also have mortices for butt purlins and large mortices for the collars which are missing; one of the truss blades is also missing. The trusses and purlins appear to be smoke blackened, but not all over. 3 chamfered cross-beams, one with 1 step stop; these are also blackened suggesting that the roof blackening was caused by something other than an open hearth fire. The ceiling joists are missing. Polsue, J. Lakes Parochial History of the County of Cornwall, vol IV 1872, reprinted 1974. Sites and Monuments Register, County Hall, Truro

Listing NGR: SX1722894198