Lower Brownsham Farmhouse

HARTLAND BROWNSHAM SS 22 NE

2/163 Lower Brownsham Farmhouse -

GV II

Farmhouse. Late C16 or early C17 probably extended in the C18 and refronted in early C19 with C20 internal alterations. Rendered stone rubble walls. Gable-ended slate roof. 2 brick stacks - one at right gable-end and one axial, rear lateral rubble stack with brick shaft and gable-end brick stack to rear wing. Plan: fairly complex development of plan the original form of which is not entirely clear. Probably built as a 3-room-and-through-passage plan house with long lower room to the left, heated by end stack, hall to right of passage with fireplace on rear wall and small inner room with end stack. Probably in the C18 an extension was built beyond the lower room consisting of dairy and salting-room. Behind the inner room is a stair projection adjoining the hall stack which may be a later C17 or C18 addition. C19 small service wing added behind passage and lower room. In the C20 a passage was taken out of the rear of the hall leading from the cross-passage to the stairs and incorporating the blocking up of the hall fireplace. Probably at the same time the partition between the hall and inner room was opened up to create one room. Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 5-window front mainly of early C19 16-pane hornless sashes apart from 3 paired 16-pane sashes, one on the ground floor to left of centre and 2 on the 1st floor of which the left-hand one is a later facsimile. To left on 1st floor is blocked window opening. C20 panelled door to rignt of centre under shallow gabled slate doorhood. Rear elevation has a single storey wing projecting to right of centre. To left is a 2 storey lean-to which contains the staircase and the hall stack is between this and the wing. Interior: room to left of passage his a section of C17 panelling above a bench against the wall backing onto the passage with sunken moulded panels with carpenters mitres and moulded cornice above. Chamfered unstopped cross beams. Wide open fireplace with plain wooden lintels and oven at the rear. Dairy to left of this room has slate shelves; a rough cross beam has an axial beam with round mortices for a partition approximately half way cross. To the rear of this are 2 very large granite salting troughs. The right-hand end room has C19 dado panelling and panelled shutters. Roof: the earliest surviving truss is over the passage and appears to have curved (boxed-in) feet, with a morticed apex and collar and trenched purlins. It is not smoke-blackened. The other roof trusses are C18 or C19 with simply crossed apices and lapped collars. To include cob garden wall with slate capping adjoining north- west corner of house and extending upto barn to north-east of house. This house has an interesting plan and retains an attractive facade. It forms part of an unspoilt and picturesque hamlet.

Listing NGR: SS2863425924