Gunnacott Farmhouse And Garden Wall To The North East

SX 39 NW CLAWTON

2/5 Gunnacott Farmhouse and garden wall - to the north east

GV II

Farmhouse. Circa late C16/early C17. Stone rubble and cob, whitewashed and rendered. Slate roof gabled at ends. Large stone stack at left end, projecting stack at right end, axial stack heating hall. The original plan appears to have been a 3 room and passage main range with a crosswing at the upper end divided between a parlour to the front and a stair to the rear. The hall has a 2-storey gabled bay to the front and a stack backing on to the passage, the lower end was the kitchen. The inner room appears to have been extended to the front. In the C19 a rear left wing was added to the lower end forming a U- plan overall and an outbuilding with separate access was added to the rear of the crosswing at the inner end. The main range has been re-roofed in 3 separate phases including a replacement in the 1980s of what was probably a C16 barrel ceiling in the room over the hall. The house is now in 2 separate occupations. 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4-window front with 2 gables to the front at the right and 3 separate rooflines. C19 gabled porch and front door into passage to the left, C20 door into gable end of parlour wing on front at right. The ground floor has two 3- light granite mullioned windows with hollow-chamfered mullions and deeply-splayed sides, the window lighting the hall is in the 2-storey bay, the second granite window to the left of the porch is smaller and lights the kitchen. The first floor of the 2-storey bay has a similar mullioned window. Other first floor windows are probably late C19: two 3-light casements with glazing bars and one 16-pane sash. A 2-light granite mullioned window with wide lights lights the stair. Interior Considerable survival of circa early to mid C17 joinery, expecially in the higher end. The inner wall of the hall has a bench which formerly continued into the bay. A probably softwood, grained C17 panelled back to the bench has reeded pilasters and a decorated top frieze. The hall has rough closely-spaced ceiling beams and an open fireplace with a replaced lintel. Other joinery includes several ovolo-moulded doorframes, 1 with jewel stops, and a panelled door. The late C17 newel stair balusters have been replaced with C19 stick balusters but parts of the stair may be original. A great chamber over the hall also contains C17 panelling. 2 C17 cross beams in the lower hand have chamfers and broach stops. The stone rubble garden wall to the north east has large rectangular recesses below a slate drip ledge and may have been used for bee boles. A good example of a high status house with an unusual quantity of C17 joinery intact. The house is documented as having been the home of the Pote family from the C14 to the early C18.

Listing NGR: SX3425097835