No 14 (The Porch House), With Cottage And Garage Range To East

LACOCK HIGH STREET ST 9168 (south side) 4/113 No 14 (The Porch House), with cottage and garage range to east 20.12.60 GV II*

House C16 and C17 on earlier core, timber-frame and rubble stone with stone slate roofs. Two storeys and attic, the cottage adjoining of 1 1/2 storeys. Main front is of two close-studded gables over a rubble stone ground floor. Ground floor has four C20 eighteen-pane sashes, first floor triple casement each side, and larger gable, to left has attic casement pair and left side stack. Rubble stone side wall to right has large, partly corbelled C16 outside stack. To left of main range is lower range, possibly C14 in origin with projecting 2-storey porch, gabled, timber-framed with heavy arched timbers to entry and inner doorway, jettied upper floor and 4-light timber-mullion window with cusped lights. Porch is apparently C15. Range to east is largely rebuilt in early C20 by H. Brakspear as service wing but throughway between garages and domestic section has a full cruck truss exposed within, similar to those found elsewhere on this side of High Street. Behind main range is parallel rear wing, probably C17 raised in C18, two-storey with 3-window south front and west stack. Thick glazing bar sashes to ground floor south-west room, sashes and casements elsewhere. Interior: Passage behind porch has heavy chamfered beam on east side. In main range, left room has moulded Tudor-arched stone fireplace and shelf, probably C16. Right side, a cross wing possibly of C15 date unaltered when left side was reconstructed, has heavy beamed compartmental ceiling to ground floor, C17 panelling and plain Tudor-arched fireplace. Room above has 1½ bay wind-braced roof with tie-beam-and-collar truss carried, at inner end, on massive jowelled post. Left side has heavy beamed first floor ceiling and, in attic, unusual truss with king-post and horizontal pieces each side, curved at springing from principal rafters. Truss matches those in Lacock Abbey service court and in barn, now Fox-Talbot Museum (q.v.). Rear range contains late C17 open well stair with turned balusters, square newels with caps and pendants, and dado panelling. Ground floor south-west room has C18 fielded panelled window seats and some reset C16 encaustic tiles from Lacock Abbey in fireplace. Four-bay single purlin roof. Plans by H. Brakspear c1910 for C.H. Talbot of Lacock Abbey show timber-framing was plastered over prior to restoration.

Listing NGR: ST9155268405