Embercombe

Embercombe is a small house, likely dating from the late 17th century. A large extension built in the late 20th century is not part of this listing.

The house is constructed of whitewashed rendered cob and stone, with a thatched roof that is hipped at the ends and has a plain ridge. It features an axial stack with a brick shaft. The building plan reveals a single-depth, three-room arrangement facing the road, with a centrally located principal heated room that includes a newel stair in the corner. An entrance is on the left side of the building, leading to a narrow unheated room, while another entrance on the right opens into a larger service room, which is now partially enclosed by a late 20th-century addition. A small, single-storey rear extension from the 20th century is also present.

The front elevation is asymmetrical with three windows. The eaves are thatched and overhang the first-floor windows. A slight change in the front elevation's plane to the left of the axial stack suggests two phases of construction. Plank front doors are located on either side, the right-hand door now being internal. The windows are small, 2 and 3-light timber casements with 20th-century leaded glazing. A vertical timber post is exposed in the front wall’s construction, aligned with the stack. The rear elevation has a blocked ground-floor window. The left return, facing the lane, has a ground-floor casement. A large, thatched extension at right angles to the front right end, built in the late 20th century, is excluded from the listing.

Inside, the principal room has an open fireplace with a timber lintel, stone jambs, and a bread oven. It also contains an exposed chamfered cross beam and exposed joists. Evidence of former ladder access to the first floor remains, along with a timber newel stair in the rear right corner of the principal room. The partition between the left and centre rooms has been partly dismantled, and the right-hand room has a rough, exposed cross beam. The apex of the roof was not inspected, but the principal rafters visible upstairs appear to be straight.

The name “Imbercombee” is mentioned in a late 18th-century document within the D.R.Q., Pearse Box 2/4/2/1. Embercombe retains some original internal wall plaster and carpentry, representing a relatively unmodernised traditional house.