Description

ILFRACOMBE

SS54NW BERRYNARBOR
853-1/2/140 Higher Trayne

II

Farmhouse situated on the brink of a coombe. Probably early
C19 but partly rebuilt, extended and altered by Oliver Hill
c1939-41 for Lady Ballalieu. Gardens also designed by Hill.
MATERIALS: render and colour-washed rubble. Synthetic slate
roofs replace Hill's thatch; crowstep gables with flashing.
PLAN: lateral stack rising the full height of the house to
main house and tall slab stack to rear of extension. Western,
garden facade of 2 storeys and single-storey left-hand
extension.
EXTERIOR: 3-window range and 6-window extension.
Main house with central, full-height canted bay with 2-light
casements having glazing bars and hipped roof, and full-height
stack to right. Ground floor to right, a 3-light casement with
glazing bars; to left, a French window with glazing bars and
having a surround of zigzag design inset slate which continues
around a recessed circular panel with radiating slates above.
2-light casements with glazing bars to 1st floor; originally
with shutters.
Music room extension to left, using 3 walls of an original
barn, with 6 full-height triangular bay windows with glazing
bars, the bottom two thirds of which can open to the garden
giving air or shelter according to the wind.
A path of alternating square and rectangular Delabole slabs
set within borders of graded beach pebbles from a local
river-mouth forms an important feature across the front of the
building.
Rear, eastern elevation contains the main single storey red
brick entrance with slate roof set between 2-storey 1-window
colour-washed rendered elevations to the farmyard. Central
glazed door with glazing bars flanked by bullseye windows with
patterned, leaded glazing; deeply recessed 1st floor with two
16-pane hornless sashes. Left-hand elevation with similar door
and 3-light casement; right-hand elevation with three 2-light
casements. The roofs and crowstep gables form a picturesque
grouping from this side of the house.
INTERIOR - ground floor paved with waxed blue-grey-green
Delabole slate floors except the living room of strip oak.
Hall with slate floor and steps flanked by slate ledged
alcoves. Entrances lead off the top of the steps including a
central old oak, segmental arched, carved and panelled door.
To the left, a winding stair to 1st floor rooms, one with
zigzag cupboards. Ground floor living room with angle
fireplace having random rubble surround and canted
chimneybreast with concave central plane faced with old blue
and white tiles. Music room with open brick lined fireplace
having rough timber mantel; north wall opened 1976 to form a
gallery. This room originally had a full-height mural by Hans
Tisdall.
Alterations and and extensions to the farmhouse were largely
made with stone quarried on the site and with old materials,
often using untrained local labour.
The garden lay-out was contrived to link house and coombe
together with triangular faceted piers and steps (qv) where
the garden meets the coombe brink (from which views of the sea
and Welsh coast) and a string of small ponds stepping down the
slope in front of the house to give reflections. To the north,
a walled "Italian" garden with old Irish yews.
Higher Trayne forms a group with the garden piers, steps and
garden walls.
(Country Life: 29 October 1943: London: 1943-: 772-775; Powers
A: Oliver Hill, Architect & Lover of Life 1887-1968: London:
1989-).

Listing NGR: SS5403946032

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26570955

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

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)