The Exmoor Sandpiper Inn

COUNTISBURY SS 74 NW 3/31 The Exmoor Sandpiper Inn - GV II House, now inn. Early to mid C17, possibly incorporating an earlier core. Extended and possibly partly rebuilt in the late C18 or early C19 and with further late C19 and C20 additions. Painted coursed stone rubble with gable-ended Welsh slate roofs; late C19 range to rear with some slate hanging and C20 wings rendered over unknown material. Plan and development: Cl7 2-room plan consisting of hall with large external lateral stone stack to front and lower room to right with a lateral stack to rear; the porch at the centre probably originally gave onto a cross- or through-passage. Late C18/early C19 addition adjoining to left (possibly incoporating or replacing former inner room) with lateral stack to rear of-right-hand room and former end stack to left-hand room; staircase rising from main entrance. Late C19 parallel range at rear of c. 1800 part. Flanking late C20 cross wings. The building is possibly a remodelling of a medieval open hall but no evidence was noted at time of survey (July 1987) when access to the roofspace was denied. 2 storeys. Exterior: C17 part to right is a 3-window range; C19 2-light wooden casements, those on ground floor with painted brick segmental heads. Large stack off-centre to left with offsets and large projecting bread oven with slate cap. Central C19 gabled porch in angle of stack with boarded door. Circa 1800 range set back slightly to left; 1:3 window range, with C19 2 and 3-light wooden casements; entrance off-centre to left with C19 boarded door and gabled porch with round-arched opening; 2-leaf boarded door in right-hand end of front. Interior: former hall (left-hand room in C17 range) has large open stone fireplace with ovolo-moulded wooden lintel and bread oven. Right-hand room with pair of chamfered cross beams and fireplace with reused wooden lintel. Chamfered beams in ground-floor room to left of hall suggests that this is a rebuilding of a former inner room. First-floor rooms and roofspace not inspected. The inn was formerly known as The Blue Ball Inn.

Listing NGR: SS7470549622