Brownstone Cottage

MORCHARD BISHOP SS 70 NE 5/100 Brownstone Cottage - - II

House, formerly a farmhouse. Probably C16 core, much rebuilt in late C16-early C17, mid C17 improvements, modernised and enlarged circa 1971. Plastered cob on rubble footings, rubble stacks with C19 and C20 brick chimney shafts; circa 1971 slate roof (formerly thatch). 3-room-and-through-passage plan house facing south-west with inner room at left (north-west) end. Circa 1971 addition at right angles to service room. Large lateral stack and newel stair projecting together from front of hall and rear lateral stack projecting from service room. 2 storeys. 5 window front of circa 1971 casements with glazing bars. Passage door between hall stack and circa 1971 stone buttress and secondary glazed door with circa 1971 hood to former inner room. Roof hipped each end. Interior: good internal features, mostly late C16-early C17. Passage-hall partition is an oak plank-and-muntin screen which includes central pair of flat-arched doors and a moulding along the head beam ornamented with rows of cut canted eyelets and serifs. Upper end of hall has similar oak plank-and-muntin screen. Its muntins are chamfered with cut diagonal stops. The moulding along the head beam is more elaborate than the passage screen and includes a band of carved foliage which changes to a more geometric pattern to the rear over the doorway. The head of the door is missing. Hall has chamfered and step-stopped cross beam and stone fireplace with oak lintel, chamfered with straight cut stops, and includes and inserted brick oven. To right of the fireplace square-headed oak door frame to tight newel stair and low flat-arched door frame to first floor. Roof was mostly replaced circa 1971 but side-pegged jointed cruck with mortices for threaded purlins survives over hall- inner room screen, but the large framed infil including a tie beam with head of round-headed door has been reset. Sevice end apparently rebuilt in mid-C17 and has chamfered elm cross beam with bar-runout stops, and service fireplace has brick side oven. Brounston is first mentioned in 1330 and the house is documented back to 1491 (owners research).

Listing NGR: SS7887808896