Pewson Barton

DOWLAND SS 50 NE 8/101 Pewson Barton II

Farmhouse. Almost certainly late medieval with C17 and later alterations and additions. Rendered cob and exposed rubble walls. Gable-ended thatch roof, corrugated asbestos to wing. Partly projecting rendered rubble front lateral stack with tapering cap and brick shaft; brick axial stack, one at right gable and one axial to wing. Plan: Originally 3-room-and-through-passage plan with lower end to the left. Early roof trusses survive over the hall and lower end and it is likely that they denote a medieval origin to the house which originally had an open hall with central hearth. As there is no access to the roof space this cannot however be proved. If there were an open hall it was ceiled in the circa early C17 with a front lateral stack added. A small dairy was built out behind the inner room. The additions at the lower, left-hand end, are more problematic; they compromise an L-shaped range, projecting to the front but apparently in 3 different sections of which the end part of the wing appears to be the earliest of C17 date, and the 2 intermediate sections later. One explanation may be that the Cl7 range was a detached kitchen and the space between it and the house was infilled later. The whole of this addition now performs a non-domestic function. Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 2-window front, 3 to ground floor, with L-shaped addition projecting from left-hand end. Late C20 2 and 3-light casements apart from single light mid to late C20 casements without glazing bars to left on ground floor. C19 or early C20 plank door to passage to left of centre with hall stack projecting to its right. The stone addition at the left-hand end has 2 doorways on its inner face with brick arches. Small dairy wing behind right-hand end of house. Interior: C17 square-headed hollow and ovolo-moulded doorframe into hall from passage. The dairy has a heavy plain cambered head wooden doorframe. Hall fireplace blocked. Front room of wing contains chamfered and hollow step-stopped cross beams and open fireplace with worn wooden lintel. Roof: over the hall and lower end are 2 face-pegged jointed crucks probably with morticed collars, the front blade of the hall truss has been superceded by the hall stack. There is no access to the roof-space but there is every likelihood that this is a medieval roof structure. Other features are also likely to be concealed in this interesting house which was evidently of some quality.

Listing NGR: SS5816609603