Description

ZEAL MONACHORUM
SS 70 SW
4/63 Gillhouse Farmhouse
including cob walls and
26.8.65 outbuilding adjoining to north-
west
- II

Farmhouse. Late C16 - early C17, possibly earlier core; rebuild and enlarged in
late C17. Plastered cob on rubble footings; stone rubble stacks topped with C20
brick; thatch roof.
House plan is derived from a 3-room-and-through-passage plan house facing south-east
with the former inner room at the right (north-eastern) end. In the late C17 the
house was remodelled in 1 or 2 stages. A fourth room was added onto the former
servaice (south-western) end. The former inner room was probably extended and both
hall and inner room were brought forward an extra bay. At the same time a 2-storey
porch was put on the front and built large enough to incorporate a stair (now
dismantled). The corridor along the back of the hall is also probably contemporary.
The present stairs are C19 and in that corridor. The former inner room (now a
kitchen) has an end stack; the hall has an axial stack backing onto the passage; the
former service room is unheated; and the service end extension room has a projecting
end stack. 2 storeys throughout.
Balanced nearly-symmetrical 2:1:2 window front of late C19 - early C20 3-light
casements with glazing bars. The large gabled porch contains a plain nearly round-
headed outer arch and the front door behind is late C19; panelled and part-glazed.
The main roof is gable-ended. The projecting left end stack of neatly-squared stone
blocks with ashlar weathered offsets. The rear wall includes a number of late C17
oak window frames, all with flat-faced mullions and relatively broad internal ogee
mouldings. There are two 3-light windows to the former service room and extension
(the latter is blocked), 2 more to the chambers above (one contains rectangular panes
of leaded glass) and another 2-light window to left of these.
Interior: the internal crosswalls are of cob. The former inner room (now the
kitchen) has late C17 features; the crossbeam is soffit-chamfered with runout stops
and the large fireplace is blocked. The core of the hall is late C16 - early C17.
The fireplace is built of stone rubble with soffit-chamfered and pyramid-stopped oak
lintel. The rear of the 2 axial beams is contemporary and similarly finished against
the chimney breast. At the other end another section of oak has been scarfed on and
a massive iron bolt sticks up in the first floor corridor above. The beam towards
the front has a plain soffit chamfer, dating from the late C17 widening of the hall.
The passage and 2 lower rooms have no exposed carpentry. The roof is wholly C17
although some earlier smoke-blackened timbers are reused. The earliest truss over
the lower side of the passage is an A-frame with a pegged dovetail lap-jointed
collar; it is late C16 - early C17. All the other trusses are late C17 A-frames with
simple pegged lap-jointed collars. The trusses over the hall have unusual collars
which on the rear side are shaped to follow the principal down nearly 0.5m and are
fixed by a series of pegs.
At the rear a high cob wall on rubble footings and with thatch coping encloses a
courtyard. On each side later stones have been built with lean-to roofs.

Listing NGR: SS7132703638

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26456873

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.

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