Dansford

SX 76 NE BROADHEMPSTON 1/34 Dansford - - II House, formerly farmhouse. C16 with C17 modifications. Rendered rubble and cob walls. Thatched roof, half hipped to left, lower, end, gabled to right. 2 rendered rubble stacks, left one is axial, right hand one is a gable stack. Originally likely to have been 3-room and through passage plan, possibly with open hall. Passage has now disappeared, it was probably at the lower side of the axial fireplace. Winder staircase at rear of hall. C20 extension at rear. 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window front of probably early C20 2-light casements with small panes, the 2 left hand first floor windows are in small, possibly original, openings. Similar window to ground floor left and small single light casement to its right. French windows to right of centre with a tall low 2-light casement to its right, all have small panes. At rear is C20 single storey extension to the left. To its right is first floor stair window, probably C18 with pegged wooden frame and central square section mullion, iron stanchion bars and remains of leaded panes. Interior is fairly unspoilt and contains several early features with more possibly covered up. The central and right-hand room each contain a chamfered cross beam, with traces of bar and hollow step stops in the right-hand room and ogee stops in the central room. Towards the right hand end of the central room the ceiling level abruptly drops and it is possible that this might conceal an internal jetty. At the lower end of the central room is a blocked fireplace with the heavy timber lintel exposed, oak winder staircase at the rear. In the C20 extension behind the right- hand room, in the original outside wall is a blocked 4-light wooden mullion window with diamond section mullions. According to the owners a similar one exists in the wall above it. There is no access to the roof space but the bases of very substantial trusses are visible on the 1st floor and suggest that the original, possibly medieval, roof trusses survive. Preserved in the barn nearby is a 2-light wood mullion window which was removed from the house. It has rounded arched lights and richly moulded jambs and was probably original to the house. Although the conclusive evidence is concealed this is likely to be an early C16 open hall house and remains relatively unspoilt with a traditional facade, being one of the few thatched houses surviving in the area.

Listing NGR: SX7968667124