18-19, BISHOPSTROW

1672/0/10002 11-JUL-01

BISHOPSTROW BISHOPSTROW 18-19

II

House, subdivided into two cottages. Circa C15; remodelled circa early C17; extended later C17; altered C19 and C20. Rendered timber-frame and coursed stone rubble. Asbestos tile roof with gabled ends. Axial and gable-end stacks with short brick shafts. PLAN: 2-bay hall and unheated low end of 3-bay Medieval house completely open to the roof; in circa early C17 floors were inserted to create chambers above and an axial stack was built at the low end of hall; later in the C17 a 2-storey 1-room plan wing with a gable-end stack was built at the front [W] of the low end. No.18 occupies the hall and No.19 occupies the low end and wing. No.17 [not included] to the right [S], at the high end, could have been part of the original house. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical west front; 2-window rendered main range on right, gable-ended stone wing projecting on left; C20 2- and 3-light casements with glazing bars, plank door on right and C20 glazed door in angle of wing on left. Victorian letter-box set in wall of gable-end on left. INTERIOR: No.18 has circa early C17 inserted framed ceiling in former hall with deeply chamfered intersecting beams. No.19 has chamfered cross-beam in wing. Both Nos.18 and 19 have exposed blades of what appear to be full cruck-trusses of a fine 3-bay Medieval roof structure, each truss with two collars, the lower cambered, two tiers of trenched purlins, curved wind-braces and threaded diagonal ridgepiece, the 2-bay hall roof is chamfered with run-out stops and there is an open truss between the hall and low end; the roof of the hall is heavily smoke-blackened, while the low end roof is only lightly sooted; most of the Medieval common-rafters remain intact over the hall. The 2-bay roof of the later C17 wing has collar-trusses, tenoned-purlins, straight wind-braces and common-rafters largely intact. This is a good example of a 3-bay Medieval house, originally completely open to the roof which is largely complete.

Listing NGR: ST8934843760