Description

BROADHEMBURYY KERSHELL
ST 00 NE

2/84 Pale House
-
II*

House. Late medieval origins, remodelled in the C17, circa mid C17 south-east wing,
extensive repairs carried out by the present owner over a period of 20 years.
Rendered cob and stone, first floor of wing framed construction; slate roof, gabled
at ends; left end stack and 2 axial stacks with stone rubble shafts, end stack to
wing.
Plan: L plan, the main range south-facing, a 3 room and cross passage plan, lower end
to the right (east), hall stack backing on to the passage. There is a 4th room, an
unheated dairy, at the extreme right (east) end. A 1 room plan south-east wing
adjoins the lower end at right angles. The house originated as a medieval open hall
house, although without inspecting the roof at time of survey (1987) it was not clear
whether the house was open from end to end or part-floored originally. An odd
arrangement of ceiling joists at the higher end of the hall suggests that the higher
end partition of the hall may have been moved to the left (west) when the stack was
inserted. By the early C17 the rooms appear to have functioned as a high quality
inner room parlour at the left (west) end, the hall in the centre and a lower end
kitchen. A C17 stair rises adjacent to the inner room stack, there was probably a
second, external stair rising from the rear wall of the hall. In the circa mid C17
the south-east wing was added, providing a high quality chamber on the first floor
over a service room. The wing is of framed construction on the first floor, unusual
in Devon. A third flight of stairs rises between the wing and the main range. The
dairy is probably an C18 addition. A small room at the rear of the passage may have
been a C17 buttery addition. The plan form is intact, apart from some alterations at
the rear of the passage to accommodate a C20 main stair.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 5 window south front with a probably C20 gabled
porch on posts to the through passage to right of centre with a wide C18 panelled
front door, the top panels glazed. 3 and 4-light casement windows with square leaded
panes, mostly C20 but on the pattern of earlier windows. The wing has a first floor
oak mullioned window of 4-lights on the inner (west) return and, on the east side 2
2-light unglazed mullioned windows with C20 external glass.
Interior: Very rich in C16 and C17 carpentry, exposed and repaired over the last 20
years. The passage has a plank and muntin screen at the lower side and a fine late
medieval doorframe with a rounded head to the rear: this now leads into the former
buttery which has a C17 mullioned window. The hall has an open fireplace with a
bread oven lined with extremely small handmade bricks. The ceiling carpentry is
rather puzzling: the axial ceiling beam is cut into the top of the higher end plank
and muntin screen and exposed joists survive. Projecting from the screen, exposed
axial joists about 1 metre in length project into the room, similar to a deep jetty
but the ends of studs of a first floor partition project into the room at the end of
the axial joists. These have now been trimmed off but were originally about ½ metre
long. A chamfered doorframe, formerly within the hall on the rear wall, but now
partitioned off from the hall, may have given access to a rear stair. The inner room
has an exposed crossbeam and joists and a high quality moulded stone chimney-piece
with a Tudor arch and good stops; a timber lintel, perhaps of an earlier fireplace,
has been exposed above the stone chimney-piece. A winder stair rises in the rear
left corner with a good C17 door at the bottom of the staircase. The lower end
kitchen has a large open fireplace with a chamfered lintel and a bread oven with a
recess or second oven in the fireback. The dairy retains a C19 pump. The first
floor rooms still open one into the other with some new partitions at the right end.
The first floor of the wing has a good moulded stone fireplace with a Tudor arched
lintel. The framing, unusual in Devon, is exposed internally and was exposed
externally until 25 years ago. The 2-light mullioned window of the east wall is
integral with the framing. A framed partition flanks the north side of the stair at
this end of the house and the stair cell is open to the roof timbers, the thatch
being rough plastered. A number of good C17 doors and doorframes survive on the
ground and first floor.
Roof: The main range is of side-pegged jointed cruck construction: apex not seen at
time of survey, but parts of the roof are smoke-blackened (information from the
owner) and sooted thatch may survive. The roof trusses in the wing have lap
dovetailed collars and are presumably circa mid C17.
An exceptionally interesting high quality traditional house with a wealth of internal
features.

Listing NGR: ST0796306058

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17547243

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

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)