Description

HOLCOMBE BURNELL KINGSFORD LANE
SX 89 SE

3/134 Kingsford Farmhouse

- II*

Farmhouse. Circa early C16 origins, remodelled in the late C16, circa late C19
rear addition. Whitewashed rendered cob on stone rubble footings; slate roof, gabled
at ends; end stacks and axial stack, all with brick shafts, the left end stack with a
projecting bread oven.
The present plan is a single depth main range, 3-rooms wide, with a narrow 2-storey
rear addition containing service rooms below and a corridor on the first floor. The
house has evolved from a late medieval open hall plan with a narrow inner room to the
right. Roofspace not thoroughly inspected and therefore the evolution of the lower
end is not entirely clear, but the house was open to the roof timbers from at least
the lower end partition of the passage to the right end of the range. The flooring
over occured in 2 phases, beginning with the inner room which was jettied into the
hall and probably unheated. This was followed by the insertion of the hall stack,
backing on to the passage, and the flooring over the room in the centre and the
passage, giving a 3 room and passage plan with a kitchen at the lower end. The house
was refenestrated, probably in the C18. In the circa late C19 the 2-storey rear
addition was added, possibly co-eval with the addition of the stack at the right end,
heating the inner room. In the C20 the lower end passage screen was removed.
2 storeys. Irregular 4-window front with a front door on the extreme right with a
flat-roofed porch leading directly into the inner room. The front door to the
passage, left of centre, has been blocked. Complete set of probably C18 small pane
iron casements, some with margin glazing and old glass.
Interior Impressive survival of C16 joinery and carpentry. The hall has a good oak
plank and muntin partition screen to the inner room with chamfered muntins stopped
off at hall bench level with diagonal stops and a deeply chamfered step stopped cross
beam. The hall fireplace is partly blocked by stove but the timber lintel survives
and the fireplace is probably complete behind the plaster. Shouldered timber doorway
between hall and lower end, deep jetty of inner room above hall screen. The lower
end room has an open fireplace with stone rubble jambs and a chamfered lintel with
run-out stops, the cross beam has similar stops. The chamfered, rounded timber rear
doorway of the through passage survives. Roofspace not thoroughly inspected but 4
jointed cruck trusses with 2 tiers of purlins survive below a more recent roof, the
trusses are smoke-blackened over the hall and likely to be sooted over the inner
room. The smoke-blackened threaded ridge has been truncated by the insertion of the
stack.
An evolved house, the main range with very little C19 or C20 alteration. The
survival of the C18 fenestration to the front elevation is an unusual and
particularly attractive feature of the exterior.

Listing NGR: SX8394591247

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17535847

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

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)