Description

ST03NW OLD CLEEVE CP
ROADWATER

4/116 Leigh Barton Farmhouse

-

- II

Grange of Cleeve Abbey, now farmhouse. Late medieval in origin, enlarged 1627, majority rebuilt 1811. Rendered over
rubble, steeply pitched slate roof, moulded cornice, stone stacks gable ends and to right of entrance, latter said to
be dated 1811. Courtyard plan: farmhouse facing East, South wing formerly a private chapel, North East annexe, West
front closed by shelter shed. Farmhouse: 2 storeys, 4 bays; 12 pane sash windows, groundfloor tripartite 12 pane sash
windows, one left and 2 right of Ham stone trabeated Roman Doric porch with frieze, 3 steps, recessed 6-panel door with
side lights. Rear elevation onto courtyard, corrugated iron roof. C20 fenestration, projecting slate hung gable end
with attached annexe in North West corner, built as a self contained unit. Annexe: squared and coursed red sandstone,
asbestos slate roof, 2 storeys, one bay lit only on North front, large external double stack left of rebuilt entrance
wall; right stack inscribed in square plaque 1627 GP (Giles Poyntz) AP. West Somerset slate roofed pentice masking
lower portion of stack, carried on 2 circular columns flanking C19 door. Interior: single cell, chamfered beams with
scroll stops, ovolo moulded door frame to stairs, first floor room said to contain similar doorcase with plasterwork
frieze and badly mutilated fireplace. Upper floor accessible now only from farmhouse, alterations made when room ceased
to be residential and became brewhouse and bakehouse, copper vat with stoke hole under to left of fireplace which also
contains oven. Cambered pebble pathway links entrance of annexe with that of South wing, said to have been a private
chapel, now reroofed with inserted floor and lacking distinguishing features. West side, shelter shed, West Somerset
slate roof with C19 door in West West corner. Between circa 1609 and 1691 Leigh Barton was occupied by the Roman
Catholic Poyntz family who had a resident chaplain. One of these chaplains, Philip Powel was later martyred at Tyburn
in 1646 during the Civil War. It is thought that the annexe provided accommodation for the resident chaplain, though
there is an alternative suggestion that it housed 2 female relatives of the builder, Giles Poyntz, who wished to live
in religious seclusion. (VAG Report, unpublished SRO, 1973; VCH Somerset, Vol 5 forthcoming).

Listing NGR: ST0250835861

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26309702

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)