Fir House

EXBOURNE EXBOURNE SS 60 SW Fir House 5/45 House II GV House originally farmhouse. Circa 1500 with C17 alterations and C19 addition. Rendered rubble and cob walls. Gable ended grouted slate roof, much lower at right- hand end with corrugated iron sheeting. Axial plastered stone stack with dripcourse and brick shaft. Brick lateral stack at rear. Plan: Originally 3-room and through passage with lower end to the right; central hearth to hall and open to the roof over hall and lower end. Inner room ceiled although the original form of partition is unclear as there is no closed truss. In the early-mid C17 the hall and lower end were ceiled and it is probable that the front of the hall and passage were built out at this time from the rest of the house. A hall stack was inserted backing onto the passage with an end fireplace to tne inner room. In the C19 an outshut was built at the rear of the hall. A C20 addition connects the house to a small adjoining cottage at the left-hand end to the rear. Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 3-window front mainly of C20 2-light casements with small panes. French window to left on ground floor. Early C19 16-pane sash to left of centre in shallow projection with C16 cranked head chamfered wooden doorframe to its right which has C20 plank door. To the right of this the wall is recessed again. At rear is C19 outshut at centre. Good interior with particularly high quality C17 features. The hall has an open fireplace with chamfered granite jambs, the wooden lintel is obscured. At the higher end is a plank and muntin screen with hollow chamfered muntins and head beam above each plank, and hollow step stops. The framed hall ceiling is divided into 4 panels by fairly insubstantial deep chamfered beams. The inner room also has an elaborate framed ceiling with moulded half beams around the edges and a central moulded cross beam, forming two panels. In the corner of the room is an C18 wall cupboard with arched head. The inner room fireplace is blocked. Several C17 panelled doors with central recessed panel survive - an unusual early form. Roof: 4 original raised crucks survive. The higher hall truss and lower end truss have high cranked collars, the latter is at a much lower level. The lower hall truss has a collar at an odd angle, possibly through the roof having been raised. These 3 trusses are all smoke-blackened. Over the inner room is a similar truss without a collar which is clean. The plain and uninformative exterior of this house belies a high quality interior with a medieval core.

Listing NGR: SS6011302079