Middle Corscombe

Middle Corscombe is a house, originally a farmhouse, dating from the early to mid 17th century, with possible late medieval origins, and with additions from the 18th and 19th centuries. The structure is of plastered cob and rendered stone, with a gable-ended thatched roof to the older part and a hipped slate roof to a 19th-century block. This later block has two brick end stacks faced with slate, while the older part features a 17th-century granite ashlar axial stack with a tapering cap, and a brick stack at the right gable end.

The original plan comprised three rooms and a through passage, with the lower end to the left, containing a hall stack backing onto the passage and a small, originally unheated, inner room. Around the late 18th century, a small dairy wing was added to the rear of the hall. In the mid to later 19th century, the lower end was demolished and replaced by a symmetrical two-room block set at right angles, which became the principal range, relegating the older part to service use.

The original range has an asymmetrical three-window front (one window on the first floor) with 20th-century 2 and 3-light casements. A 19th-century plank door leads to the passage at the left-hand end. The 19th-century range has a symmetrical three-window front with mid to late 19th-century 4-pane sashes and a central 4-panel door.

The interior of the older range retains a surprisingly high-quality and complete hall, which is relatively small. It features a framed ceiling of chamfered beams with bar and hollow step stops. An open fireplace has a chamfered wooden lintel with ogee stops, and beside it is a built-in settle, likely of the 18th or 19th century. A 17th-century bench with panelling behind is set against the higher end wall, exhibiting an unusual form with small decorative finials above the stiles, and featuring an integral shaped bench end with similar finials. There is also an 18th-century wall cupboard in the front wall. The inner room has cross beams with hollow step stops. A good-quality, late 18th-century tall wall cupboard features a dentilled cornice and fluted pilasters, alongside a contemporary chimneypiece of similar design with a Grecian urn to the frieze. The passage has heavy chamfered axial beams with ogee stops and a granite ashlar back to the hall fireplace. The roof timbers were probably replaced in the 18th century, as they lack substantial principal rafters and rest on wall plates. Despite the 19th-century addition, the earlier part of the house remains largely unaltered, and for its modest size, contains surprisingly high-quality internal features.