Kingsford Farmhouse

HOLCOMBE BURNELL KINGSFORD LANE SX 89 SE

3/134 Kingsford Farmhouse

• II*

Farmhouse. Circa early C16 origins, remodelled in the late C16, circa late C19 rear addition. Whitewashed rendered cob on stone rubble footings; slate roof, gabled at ends; end stacks and axial stack, all with brick shafts, the left end stack with a projecting bread oven. The present plan is a single depth main range, 3-rooms wide, with a narrow 2-storey rear addition containing service rooms below and a corridor on the first floor. The house has evolved from a late medieval open hall plan with a narrow inner room to the right. Roofspace not thoroughly inspected and therefore the evolution of the lower end is not entirely clear, but the house was open to the roof timbers from at least the lower end partition of the passage to the right end of the range. The flooring over occured in 2 phases, beginning with the inner room which was jettied into the hall and probably unheated. This was followed by the insertion of the hall stack, backing on to the passage, and the flooring over the room in the centre and the passage, giving a 3 room and passage plan with a kitchen at the lower end. The house was refenestrated, probably in the C18. In the circa late C19 the 2-storey rear addition was added, possibly co-eval with the addition of the stack at the right end, heating the inner room. In the C20 the lower end passage screen was removed. 2 storeys. Irregular 4-window front with a front door on the extreme right with a flat-roofed porch leading directly into the inner room. The front door to the passage, left of centre, has been blocked. Complete set of probably C18 small pane iron casements, some with margin glazing and old glass. Interior Impressive survival of C16 joinery and carpentry. The hall has a good oak plank and muntin partition screen to the inner room with chamfered muntins stopped off at hall bench level with diagonal stops and a deeply chamfered step stopped cross beam. The hall fireplace is partly blocked by stove but the timber lintel survives and the fireplace is probably complete behind the plaster. Shouldered timber doorway between hall and lower end, deep jetty of inner room above hall screen. The lower end room has an open fireplace with stone rubble jambs and a chamfered lintel with run-out stops, the cross beam has similar stops. The chamfered, rounded timber rear doorway of the through passage survives. Roofspace not thoroughly inspected but 4 jointed cruck trusses with 2 tiers of purlins survive below a more recent roof, the trusses are smoke-blackened over the hall and likely to be sooted over the inner room. The smoke-blackened threaded ridge has been truncated by the insertion of the stack. An evolved house, the main range with very little C19 or C20 alteration. The survival of the C18 fenestration to the front elevation is an unusual and particularly attractive feature of the exterior.

Listing NGR: SX8394591247