Lovecombe

Lovecombe is a house, originally probably a farmhouse, dating from the late 16th century. It has been considerably altered, probably in the 18th or 19th century, with a mid-20th century addition.

The building is constructed of rendered stone rubble walls with a hipped slate roof, gabled to a rear parallel wing. It retains a probably original coursed rubble axial stack with moulded cap, and a rendered lateral stack at the side of the rear wing.

The original plan is difficult to establish, as it has probably been considerably reduced. What remains consists of a single room heated by a fireplace at the right-hand end, with a newel stair in a projection at the rear of the stack. This room was originally the hall. At its right-hand end, behind the stack, is a small unheated room with thick walls now used as an entrance hall, entered by a stone arched doorway. Although now reduced in height, this may be the original inner room which was later converted to an entrance hall when the passage and lower end were demolished. These lower sections, which would have been at the opposite left-hand end of the hall, were probably demolished in the 18th or 19th century. At the rear of the hall there appears to have been another heated room, evidenced by a fireplace on the outside of that wall, now in a small room forming a 19th century parallel rear block. It is unusual for a wing to have a stack axial to the main range, but this seems more likely than the re-use of a massive granite fireplace. A granite arched doorway originally led from the hall into this room, substantiating this theory.

In the early 17th century a two-storey bay was added to the front of the hall at the inner end. Probably in the 18th century a kitchen was added beside the rear wing at the lower end. At this stage the lower room and passage may have been demolished, and the rear wing truncated to be in line with the kitchen. In the mid-20th century a wing was added at the lower end of the hall, projecting to the front.

The house rises two storeys and presents an asymmetrical four-window front with a projecting mid-20th century wing to the left and a large two-storey bay to the right of centre. The projecting wing has two mid-20th century twelve-pane sashes on the ground floor and one above in a half dormer. The central recessed section has a similar window to the left on each floor. To the right on the first floor is a 19th century two-light casement with small panes and the remains of H-L hinges. Below it is a four-centred granite arched doorway, chamfered with pyramid stops, likely originally at the front of the passage. A mid-20th century glazed door now occupies this opening. To its right the two-storey hall bay projects, with a two-light granite mullion window on the first floor and a 19th century twelve-pane sash below. At the right-hand end the house is lower and has a similar granite doorway to that at the front of the hall, also probably re-used from the demolished lower end, with a mid-20th century plank door. At the rear the various extensions are covered by a parallel gabled roof. The stair turret is towards the left end and has a granite framed light on its front face with diamond leaded pane and iron stanchion bar. A mid-20th century flat-roofed extension is built out in front of it.

The interior contains a number of good quality original features. Four roof trusses survive consisting of substantial principal rafters with diagonal ridge and threaded purlins. The collars have been removed but were halved onto the principals with dovetailed joints. The hall has a heavy beamed ceiling of chamfered cross beams with pyramid stops. Many of the original joists survive and are similarly decorated. The joints in the hall bay are plain, and the beam separating it from the hall is chamfered with hollow step stops. The hall fireplace has been rebuilt in the mid-20th century.

At the left-hand end of the hall is a chamfered granite four-centred arched doorway with pyramid stops, removed from the rear of the hall during the mid-20th century alterations. At the inner end of the hall at the rear is a similar doorway leading to the newel stairs. These are finely constructed in granite with moulded newel. Another granite arched doorway exists at the top of the stairs. In the room at the rear of the hall is a granite framed fireplace, chamfered with pyramid stops to the jambs. The fireplace back has been built out slightly to approximately half way up with small, probably hand-moulded bricks which may possibly be original or 17th century.

The original plan form is particularly puzzling, and any reconstruction can only be hypothetical based on existing evidence and common plan-forms for that period. Although considerably altered, this has not greatly detracted from its external appearance, and it retains a considerable number of good quality original features.