Woolleigh Barton And Adjoining Former Chapel

This is a manor house complex with an attached chapel, now divided into separate dwellings. The main building probably dates from the 15th century (possibly earlier) and was probably altered or enlarged in the early 16th century. Various internal alterations were carried out in the 17th century, with possible additions of the same date or of the 18th century. The building underwent mid to late 19th-century remodelling with possible minor additions of the same date or of the early 20th century.

Construction

The walls are constructed of uncoursed stone rubble with some roughly squared and coursed stone, and ashlar dressings to the chapel. A wing to the rear is rendered. A mid to late 19th-century rear addition is built of gault brick and uncoursed stone rubble. Some 19th-century alterations and additions feature red-brick dressings. The roofs are gable-ended and covered in Welsh slate, with a hipped roof over the left-hand end of the hall range. Some 20th-century asbestos slates cover the rear of the cross wing. Stone lateral stacks, mostly rendered, are located at the rear of the hall and on the cross wing. There is also a red-brick axial stack positioned off-centre to the left and a later red-brick integral corner stack on the cross wing.

Plan and Development

The hall range has a three-room and through-passage plan, probably dating from the 15th century, and faces south (the ground falls to the left). The hall has an external lateral stack to the rear, with a through passage to the left and a former service room beyond to the left with a former end stack. The hall was originally open to the roof with an open hearth, evidenced by smoke-blackening remaining in the roof timbers. The rear stack was probably added in the 17th century. The hall was ceiled at eaves height, probably also in the 17th century, when the entire hall range was completely re-roofed. A probably mid to late 17th-century two-roomed addition was built at the left-hand end of the hall range.

A gabled solar cross wing stands at the upper (right-hand) end of the hall range, consisting of a slightly projecting tall front block with an external lateral stack to the right and a lower projecting rear block with an integral end stack (now truncated). The front block contained a first-floor great chamber (since partitioned and ceiled) heated by a fireplace in the lateral stack, and the rear block formerly had a first-floor great bedchamber (also since divided). The ground floor of the front part of the cross wing (below the great chamber) served as the kitchen and dairy at a later date, probably in the 19th century. The cross wing appears to be a later alteration (probably early 16th century) and probably replaced a former smaller upper end of the late 14th/early 15th-century hall range.

The chapel probably dates from around 1400 (Pevsner dates it to the 15th century) and projects at right angles to the front of the cross wing. It was re-roofed in the late 17th century and has a later inserted floor, probably a 19th-century insertion when the chapel became a store, with a loft approached by external steps to the front. A staircase was inserted at the rear of the former service end to the left of the passage, probably in the early 19th century. A wing at the rear of the 17th-century addition to the left was probably also added in the early 19th century.

The late 19th-century remodelling of the house probably included the addition or rebuilding of the lean-to porch to the through passage (it appears to incorporate some earlier fabric, either from an earlier porch or from elsewhere), and the insertion of a second through passage/staircase hall at the upper (right-hand) end of the hall (possibly an earlier insertion). A ground-floor bay window was added to the former service room in the late 19th century. A late 19th-century addition was built in the angle of the cross wing at the rear. The right-hand side wall of the front block of the cross wing was probably partly rebuilt in the 19th century (evidenced by the masonry and window openings), which might explain the absence of an internal moulded wall plate on this side now.

The building has two storeys but retains a one-storey hall.

Exterior

The hall has a large late 19th-century three-light wooden mullioned and transomed window with a brick segmental-arched head. To the left of the porch at the former service end is a probably early 19th-century first-floor boxed glazing bar sash with small panes to the upper leaf (4 by 2) and 2 large panes to the lower leaf (altered in the late 19th century). The window opening has been reduced, probably when the sash was inserted, as evidenced by a straight joint of the former jamb to the left. To the left of the porch is a late 19th-century ground-floor projecting bay with a canted left-hand corner, brick dressings and a lean-to slate roof. It has a 4-pane sash to the front and a 2-pane sash to the left-hand corner, both with chamfered wooden lintels and stone cills.

The passage doorway has a pair of probably early 19th-century three-panelled doors (with reeded flush lower panels and moulded upper panels) with nail studding, a probably late 19th-century beaded Tudor-arched wooden frame, beaded wooden reveals and a wooden lintel. The 19th-century stone porch has a lean-to slate roof. Its interior has a plastered ceiling, a probably reused chamfered cross beam and lintel, 19th-century wooden side benches with matchboarded dado, and a 19th-century encaustic tiled floor. The doorway to the right of the hall window (leading to the inserted passage) has a 19th-century boarded door with a 19th-century chamfered wooden frame, a 3-part rectangular overlight and a brick segmental-arched head. A wide stone buttress stands between the hall window and the right-hand door.

The probably 17th-century addition at the left-hand end of the hall range has a 2-window front with early 19th-century boxed 16-pane glazing bar sashes. The ground-floor sash to the right has a brick segmental-arched head, and those on the ground and first floors to the left have 20th-century concrete lintels. Two stone buttresses (between the windows and the left-hand corner) have brick dressings and chamfered offsets. A small 19th-century square wooden bellcote sits on the ridge at the right-hand end of the hall, with square posts, shingle-hung sides, a tented cap and still retaining its bell. A row of pigeon nesting holes is located below the eaves at the rear of the left-hand end of the hall range.

Cross Wing

There is evidence of a blocked window in the gable to the front (indicated by straight joints). The left-hand return front of the wing (in the angle with the hall range) has a first-floor late 19th-century two-light wooden casement (lighting the dairy) with a brick segmental-arched head and internal wrought-iron bars. There is also a blocked window below the eaves in the left-hand return front.

The right-hand return front (north-east side) of the solar cross wing has a large central stone stack with a semi-circular lean-to bread oven at the base (probably an addition, as evidenced by straight joints). The 2-window front features late 19th-century two-light small-paned wooden casements with brick segmental-arched heads. The left-hand ground-floor window (lighting the dairy) has a stone segmental-arched head and internal wrought-iron bars and was probably formerly wider (indicated by a straight joint to the left). The right-hand ground-floor window (lighting the kitchen) was replaced and widened in the late 20th century. A probably inserted first-floor small 19th-century four-pane casement to the right has a brick segmental-arched head.

The lower rear block of the cross wing to the right has a first-floor 2-light wooden casement to the right with a wooden lintel. The north-west side of the rear block of the cross wing (onto the service court) has 2 first-floor 19th-century small-paned 2-light wooden casements with brick segmental-arched heads. The ground floor has a central 19th-century casement flanked by 19th-century boarded doors. The gable end of the wing to the rear has external steps up to a first-floor boarded door.

Former Chapel

The former chapel adjoins the front of the cross wing. The former east (liturgical) window in the gable end to the front has a dressed stone pointed arch and now serves as a loft doorway with a 19th-century boarded door, approached by an external flight of 8 stone steps. The left-hand return front (south-west side) has a c.1400 continuously-chamfered arched stone doorway with broach stops and an old boarded door with wrought-iron strap hinges. There is a probably inserted louvred loft opening above. Two large blocked windows are located to the right of the doorway (indicated by dressed stone arches). The right-hand return front of the former chapel has an inserted loft window to the right, an inserted loft doorway to the left and a ground-floor boarded door off-centre to the right with a brick segmental-arched head.

Interior

The hall range was much remodelled in the late 19th century, including the installation of 6-panelled doors throughout and an encaustic-tiled floor in the through passage. The high-ceilinged hall has a small probably 17th-century cupboard in the front wall with a one-panelled door. A probably early 19th-century staircase at the rear of the former service end to the left has stick balusters and an open string with cut brackets. A late 19th-century staircase is located in the inserted passage to the upper end of the hall. Roughly chamfered ceiling beams are present in the kitchen (in the ground floor below the former great chamber).

The first-floor rear room in the cross wing (the former bedchamber, now divided by later partitions) has a blocked early 16th-century stone fireplace in the rear wing with a deep lintel. An early 16th-century garderobe stands in the corner to the right of the stack, consisting of a circular turret in the thickness of the wall, with a wooden seat, a small blocked window with splayed jambs, and a 16th-century mortice and tenoned round-arched rebated door frame with an old plank door.

Roofs

A 17th-century seven-bay roof covers the hall, passage and former service room, with trusses consisting of principal rafters crossed at apices, notched lapped collars and staggered purlins. A late Medieval closed truss at the upper end of the hall has the principals removed and partly bricked up but retains some smoke-blackened timbers, including vertical studs with mortices for former longitudinal curved braces in the vertical plane (possibly to support a former canopy).

A three-or 4-bay 17th-century roof covers the 17th-century addition at the left-hand end of the hall range, with trusses consisting of principal rafters and lapped collars.

A very fine unblackened early 16th-century arched-braced truss roof covers the former great chamber in the cross wing (now only visible in the attic). It has seven trusses (one against the front wall) with ogee- and cavetto-moulded arched bracing and cavetto moulding to the underside of the principals and collars. There are straight principals, collars with cambered tops, pairs of threaded (or possibly butt) purlins, one tier of upcurved wind braces with hollow-moulded top side, and a diagonally-set ridge-piece. A 16th-century moulded wooden wall plate survives on the left-hand side (south-west) wall with 2 roll mouldings with 2 slanted mouldings between, with gaps at the foot of each principal, probably formerly to take wooden corbels (possibly carved heads, since removed). There is an undecorated 16th-century truss against the rear wall (collar removed). A section of arched bracing had come away from the front truss at the time of survey (December 1987) and was resting on the attic floor. The walls of the attic are plastered, including an ashlar area above the wall plate on the left-hand side wall. Two small blocked windows are in the front gable of the wing and one blocked window is in the left-hand side wall (in the angle with the hall range). Evidence of the top of a former window in the right-hand side wall is visible (indicated by a recess with a chamfered top).

The roof over the former bedchamber in the wing to the rear of the former great chamber was replaced in the late 19th century. A stone cross wall between each chamber rises up into the roofspace.

Chapel Interior

The former east window has chamfered jambs. A square-headed piscina in the south wall has chamfered jambs and a corbelled quatrefoil bowl. A 17th-century three-bay roof has 3 trusses consisting of straight principals and halved lapped curved collars (one truss against the rear wall). Evidence of the line of a former (higher) probably 15th or 16th-century roof is visible (indicated by a curved recess of a former truss against the end wall).

Setting and Context

There is a small service courtyard at the rear of the house enclosed by an attached service range, which might formerly have incorporated a Medieval kitchen (indicated by smoke-blackened roof). The owners (in December 1987) reported that the Medieval font from the chapel is now in the grounds of Trevilla, a nearby house, and there is an old font base in the garden there.

Woolleigh Barton is a very fine example of a late Medieval manor house and deserves further study.