Lurcombe Farmhouse

Farmhouse, probably 16th century or earlier, with alterations from the 17th century, early 18th century and mid-19th century, and 20th century additions at the rear. The building is constructed of rendered cob with some stone, with a slated roof.

The front elevation is dominated by a large projecting chimneystack in the centre, immediately to the left of the entrance porch, with an attached flue in front that is probably a brick addition. A 19th century stack sits on the left gable, and another on the right-hand end at the front slope of the roof.

The plan is of 3-room and through-passage type, with what was probably the parlour at the upper end and the kitchen at the lower end, though the parlour appears to have served domestic functions in later periods. The through-passage has been widened to accommodate a staircase. The building is two storeys, with a four-window front, the second bay from the right containing a two-storey entrance porch.

Windows are mostly 20th century wood casements with glazing-bars. The left-hand second-storey window is a 19th century casement of four lights with three panes per light. The right-hand bay of the ground storey has a 20th century French window.

The gabled entrance porch has a ground-storey that is open-fronted with solid side-walls, probably of stone faced with some brick. The upper storey is timber-framed. The front timber-framing is partly exposed and displays thin 18th or 19th century character, resting on a chamfered 20th century lintel. Inside the porch are wooden seats with beaded edges and rounded ends at the front. The door is 19th century, with two sunk panels at the bottom and four panes of glass above.

At the rear of the through-passage, the back doorway (now within a 20th century extension) has a granite lintel, probably of the early 18th century, carved with two large S-scrolls resembling a swan-neck pediment, though the jambs have been rebuilt.

Internally, the through-passage has a partition on the hall side faced at the rear end with wide old planks, horizontally laid with bead-moulded edges. The wall behind is said to be of concrete block. The hall fireplace has a hollow-moulded granite jamb on the right with a convex stop at the foot, and a wood lintel, probably a 17th century replacement, chamfered with notched scroll-stops. An upper-floor beam, chamfered with run-out stops, is laid lengthwise.

At the upper end is a plank-and-muntin screen, probably of the 18th century, with ovolo-moulded studs, constructed from elm rather than oak. The room at the upper end, possibly originally a parlour, contains a large granite trough partly set into the rear wall, with small ledges at either end on the inside, believed to have been used for salting.

The room at the lower end has a very large gable-fireplace with a 20th century wood lintel. Upper-floor beams are chamfered with indeterminate stops, possibly straight-cuts.

In the second storey is a reset late 16th or 17th century wooden window, originally from a cob wall within the former outbuilding immediately north-west of the house (now a cottage). It is of three lights with flat-splay mullions having run-out stops at the top, with the left-hand light retaining its original upright, diagonally set bar.

The roof-structure is entirely 19th century, consisting of king-post-and-ridge trusses with upward braces from the king-post. It closely resembles the roof of the shippon (separately listed), which bears a datestone of 1851.