Summary

A former wagon house which probably dates from the first half of the C19.

Description

MATERIALS: constructed of random Hamstone rubble side walls with a hipped, combed wheat reed thatched roof. The windows and doors are of late-C20 date.

PLAN: rectangular on plan and of four bays.

EXTERIOR: the north and south side elevations lack any openings. The former open-ended west elevation, which was infilled in the late C20, has a stone rubble wall to the lower part with timber cladding above. The ground floor has a plain door and a casement window, and two further windows to the upper floor. The east end has also been infilled and is of a similar appearance to the opposing elevation, with a pair of garage doors and a single doorway to the ground floor and two casement windows above.

INTERIOR: a first floor has been introduced throughout the building with a modern stair leading to the upper floor. The four bay roof consists of pegged tie beam trusses with angled struts and a single tier of staggered purlins.

History

The building, a former wagon shed, is situated within the hamlet of Ilford. Wagon houses were often located close to roadways, giving direct access to the fields and were often used to shelter loaded wagons from sudden rain storms which would spoil the crop during harvest time. This example in Ilford is no exception, being typically situated adjacent to the road passing through the hamlet. It appears to date from the first half of the C19, although the current list description attributes a C17 date to the building.

Sometime in the mid- to late C20 it is understood that the upper part of the east end was infilled and a first floor was added within the eastern half of the building. Further works were undertaken prior to the listing of the wagon house in 1987 when the former open-ended east and west elevations were infilled and an upper floor was created throughout the length of the building.

Reasons for Listing

The former wagon house to the south-west of Bramble Cottage which dates from the first half of the C19 is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Intactness: despite late-C20 alterations it retains a significant proportion of historic fabric including the exterior stone walls and the roof structure intact. The purpose for which it was constructed remains readable

* Historic interest: this former wagon house represents an example of what is becoming an increasingly less common type of farm building in this part of Somerset.

* Group value: it forms part of a significant grouping of agricultural and domestic buildings and has a good association with a number of other listed buildings

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26583103

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House