Smith Hay

House. Late medieval with late 16th and early 17th century remodelling and substantial alterations of around the 1940s. Stone rubble construction with the first floor rendered; 1940s red tiled roof with sprocketed eaves, gabled at the ends; 20th century stone rubble projecting stack at the left end, axial stack with granite shaft, and 20th century rear right lateral stack.

The house is planned as a high-quality 3 room and through passage layout, though it was heavily altered around the 1940s in a loosely Vernacular Revival style. At that time the house was re-roofed, refenestrated, and four gabled wings were added at the rear, one of which may be a remodelled stair wing. The floor level was dug out during these works, requiring adjustment to the ground floor partitions. The house originated as an open hall with the entrance to the right of centre. The roof timbers are painted black, which obscures evidence of the late 16th and early 17th century remodelling sequence, though the inner room was floored before the hall and the chamber over the inner room jetties into the hall. The hall, with the stack backing onto the passage, displays exceptionally rich carpentry and joinery detail and probably once had a newel stair adjacent to the stack before this was replaced by an external stair at the rear wall. The inner room, which may have functioned as a kitchen in the 17th century, is large and probably extended in the 17th century, with a stone newel stair adjacent to the stack. The smaller, lower end room is largely modernised. The 1940s alterations expanded the house to the rear with four irregular gabled wings, and considerable joinery and carpentry repair was carried out at the same period.

The exterior presents 2 storeys with an asymmetrical 6-window front and 4 gables to the front. A fine 16th century arched oak doorframe with repaired jambs stands to the right of centre to the cross passage, with a 20th century door at the extreme right. The fenestration is 20th century, comprising 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-light windows.

The interior displays remarkable high-quality carpentry and joinery throughout. The granite ashlar back of the hall stack, with plinth and cornice, is exposed in the passage. The remainder of the hall and passage partition is made up of a repaired section of plank and muntin screen with a shouldered doorway. The lower end screen is almost entirely 20th century exposed joists in the passage, those to the rear projecting through the plank and muntin screen and into the hall. The hall is richly carpentred with an open fireplace featuring a chamfered timber lintel and granite jambs. The higher end plank and muntin screen has muntin chamfers stopped off at hall bench level with a shouldered doorframe to the inner room. An exceptional domestic bench end, possibly re-sited, incorporates a carved owl finial. The deep higher end jetty features chamfered joists; the hall ceiling has 2 moulded cross beams with run-out stops and exposed moulded stopped joists, some apparently re-sited. An elaborate system of joists immediately in front of the fireplace lintel features a trimmer beam dividing 2 sets of chamfered and moulded joists. The beam between rear wall and fireplace jamb is chamfered towards the passage and moulded to the hall. A 17th century 2-plank door in the rear wall leads to the stair. The inner room has a chamfered, stopped crossbeam with exposed joists and an open fireplace featuring a timber lintel and 2 bread ovens, together with a stone stair adjacent to the stack. The lower end room contains 1940s carpentry and joinery including a timber chimneypiece with carved saints. A re-sited oak mullioned window with chamfered stopped mullions and some 17th century stained glass is located in the rear wing.

The roof employs side-pegged jointed cruck construction with a hip cruck at the right end and a closed partition above the hall and inner room jetty. Black paint has obscured evidence of smoke-blackening and there has been considerable repair and replacement of the subsidiary timbers.

Historical records show that in 1691 John Stooke left Smith's Hay farm for charitable uses. The farm comprised 26 acres and was let for about £26 per annum. From this yearly income, the vicar of Christow received about £11, the poor received five 4d. loaves weekly, £5 belonged to the poor of Ashton, and £5 to the rector of Trusham.