Town Tenement And Yew Cottage

SS 53 SE 7/35

BISHOPS TAWTON EASTER STREET, BISHOPS TAWTON Town Tenement and Yew Cottage

II

Tenement farmhouse, now 2 dwellings. Probably C15/early C16. Extended in C17 and again in C19. Whitewashed rendered cob and rubble with cement slurried slate roof with gable ends. Lateral hall stack to rear heightened in brick and stack at gable end of rear dairy. Axial stack formerly service end stack. Originally 3 room and through-passage open hall plan the roof pitch heightened at upper end in C16 but remaining single-storeyed until C17 (possibly 1624 by datestone over fireplace) when floors were inserted and stairs inserted in through-passage. Right-angled dairy extension to rear of service end also probably C17. Lower end extended in C19 by adding single bay forming overall T-shape plan. 2 storeys. 6 window range of horned sashes with marginal glazing bars to lst floor. Door at left end with 2 late C18/early C19 3-light casements 6 panes each light to each side of cross-passage doorway with C20 door. Interior: chamfered beam to parlour and chamfered hall fireplace lintels. Panelled shutters to hall window. Scroll- stopped chamfered fireplace lintel at lower end with 1624 datestone above. Cast ironwork fireback dated 1662 initialled C.P. 2 bread oven openings. Ancient settle (known locally as the "Bishops Chair") to right of hearth. Kitchen window has been reduced in width. C18 door of 2 large panels at head of stairs to Yew Cottage. Interesting roof structure with 2 levels of smoke-blackening. Sequence of 4 trusses. Raised cruck truss one lower end of through-passage (that over lower end has been replaced). Smoke-blackened with threaded purlins, diagonally threaded ridge purlin and cranked collar morticed into blade soffits. The foot of rear side blade has been truncated due to rear additions. A clean truss sits directly over it considerably heightening the ridge, nevertheless, matching the level of the third truss over the hall which is also heavily smoke-blackened with threaded purlins. Clean truss over upper end is probably a C18 replacement with side pegged collar, but smoke-blackened rafters extend to gable end. Later patching and additions to trusses has further raised roof level. The ceiling to chamber over hall has been dropped leaving part of C17 plasterwork cornice concealed in roofspace.

Listing NGR: SS5674730337