Description

ASHPRINGTON
SX85NW Lower Washbourne Barton
6/1

9.2.61

GV II*

House; formerly a farmhouse. Circa early C17 or earlier, remodelled in late
C17 and mid C18 and extended in circa 1830. Rendered stone rubble. Grouted
scantle slate roof with gable ends and early hand-made crested ridge tiles.
Axial and gable end stacks with rendered shafts, one at left hand end has pots
made from vertically set slates; one axial stack has C19 brick shaft. The
lateral stacks at the back of the rear wing have tall stone rubble shafts.
Plan: The present house is a long 2-storey range of 4-room plan with a 2-
storey wing at the rear right of the room to the left of centre. There is a
2-room plan range attached to the end of the wing parallel with the left end
of the main range.
Development: The original house is probably the 3 left hand rooms of the main
range; It would have been a 3-room and cross or through passage plan, its
lower left end room heated from a gable end stack, the hall heated from an
axial stack at its lower left end and the inner room to the right has a gable
end stack. The wing at the rear of the hall with a heated chamber above and
unheated ground floor room may have been part of the original plan or a late
C17 addition when the house was reorientated, the lower left end room becoming
the parlour; in circa mid C18 the house was remodelled again the hall of the
old house became a grand entrance hall with a fine open-well staircase
inserted at its right end. On the landing there is a fine C18 doorway into
the chamber over the former inner room. The large right hand room is now an
outbuilding although the present owner reports that the first floor was
formerly a ballroom. Whatever its original function it was probably added in
the early C19 at the sometime as the parallel 2-storey service range was built
attached to the rear wing behind the left had end of the main range. The back
range contains the kitchen, dairy and back stairs to servants rooms. The date
1819 or 1831 one the weathervane of the cupola over the main range probably
refers to the refenestration of the facade, the addition of the right hand
outbuilding/ballroom and the rear service range. The date on the weathervane
appears to be 1819 although according to the owner it is actually 1831, which
would be consistent with the estimated 1830-40 date of the stables ((qv))
immediately to the east.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Long asymmetrical 2:3 window range plus the blind front
wall of the outbuilding to the right. Circa early C19 sashes, 12 panes to the
first floor, tall 15-pane sashes to the ground floor with low sills, that to
the centre replaced with a late C20 casement. Doorway to right of centre has
a fine C18 Doric doorcase with fluted pilasters, cornice and frieze with
triglyphs and mantles and a field panel door. Over the centre of the ridge
a square wooden cupola has a weather vane pierced with initials:- S?D 1819?
To the right the first floor of the outbuilding has ventilation slits,
possibly in place of windows originally. The ground floor has wide openings
with timber lintels for vehicle access.
The rear wall of the main range has circa early C18 sash to left and some
slate hanging to right on the first floor facing the yard. Also facing the
yard the front wall of the parallel rear range has 3 very large C18 or early
C19 sashes with glazing bars. The rear wall of the parallel back range is
blind except for 1 C20 ground floor window and 2 lateral stacks which have
tall stone rubble shafts. The gable end of the circa late C17 rear wing is
set back to the left of the back range and has a short stone rubble stack with
a dripstone and a late C18 or early C19 sash with glazing bars to the first
floor chamber; the outer (lefthand) face of the wing has 2 C19 casements on
the first floor and a C18 sash on the ground floor. To the left the ground
level is higher and there is a first floor doorway to the outbuilding.
Interior: Retains many interesting high quality features. The hall has a
very good open-well open string staircase with carved scroll tread ends, 3
twisted and fluted balusters per bead, a moulded handrail ramped up to fluted
column newels and weathered over the curtail newel; fielded panel dado to the
stairs and hall. The hall has a moulded plaster ceiling cornice and the
stairwell has a fine modillion cornice. The hall also has round-headed niches
in the back wall and a china cupboard to the side of the fireplace which has
lost its C18 chimneypiece exposing the finely dressed slate earlier fireplace
which has a chamfered timber lintel with short run-out stops and a stone oven
to the left.
The parlour to the left of the hall has a good late C17 bolection moulded
plaster ceiling with an oval centre and rectangular fields and an elaborate
modillion cornice; a china cupboard and doorway with moulded cornices with
pulvinated friezes and a fine large bolection moulded marble chimneypiece
witch cornice that breaks forward at the centre; there is a large elliptically
headed niche in the back wall of the parlour. The room to the right of the
hall, the former inner room, was inaccessible but is said to have a Devon
limestone chimneypiece.
There is a fine C18 round-headed parallel door at the top o the stairs into
the chamber over the former inner room. The first floor has many late C17 or
C18 fielded 2-panel doors. The rear wing chamber also has fielded panel doors
and a circa late C17 bolection moulded chimneypiece with a cornice.
Roof: The roof over the main range has been raised, probably in the C19
and the entrance has soft wood trusses. The roof space over the rear wing
is inaccessible but the foot of one of the straight principals is visible.
A bell, lying in the stables (qv) to the east of the house, is dated 1602 and
has name Henry (Somster?).

Listing NGR: SX8051655259

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17533310

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

• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)