Description

CHUDLEIGH FORE STREET (west side), Chudleigh
SX 8679
6/58 The Bishop Lacy Public House
(Formerly listed as The Plymouth Inn)
23.8.55
GV II*

Public house. Circa early C16 origins, circa early C17 remodelling, subsequent rear
left wing, C20 alterations.
Colourwashed and rendered; slate roof, gabled at ends; end stacks, rear lateral stack
to main range, end stack to rear right wing.
The roof structure indicates that this building was a high status late medieval house
of 5 bays, probably consisting of a storeyed bay at the left end, a 2-bay open hall
and 2 storeyed bays at the right end with a fine first floor chamber. A rear right
wing, at right angles to the lower end, was probably a C16 kitchen and may originally
have had an open hearth. The hall was probably floored over in the C17 when the rear
lateral stack may have been added. The remains of a through passage (now in use as
the bar) survives to right of centre; the partition between the inner room (which was
probably unheated until the C19) and hall no longer exists. A rear left wing, at
right angles to the former inner room is probably a C19 addition and gives an overall
U plan.
2 storeys. 5 window asymmetrical front, the central bay a canted 2-storey bay
window. Front door to former passage to right of bay window, further door at extreme
left, both with flat porch canopies carried on moulded timber brackets. C20 2-light
casements with square leaded panes.
Interior The roof structure is outstanding. The 2 right hand bays (probably
originally the solar) have a hollow-chamfered arched brace truss with chamfered butt
purlins with runout stops and 2 tiers of chamfered wind braces. There is no ridge
piece. A closed truss divides this section of the roof from the 2 bays over the hall
to the left with the remains of a presumably C17 cranked doorway in the closed truss.
The truss over the hall is of similar design but with the arched braces moulded with
an ovolo and hollow divided by fillets. The pegs fitting the rafters project through
the purlins. A closed truss divides this 2-bay section from the extreme left hand
bay, which is also wind braced. The roof structure over the rear right wing is also
of considerable interest, 3 probably C16 collar rafter jointed cruck trusses, with
slightly cambered collars mortised into the principals, again there is no ridge
piece. The central truss is plastered and the 2 bays beyond it (to the rear) show
some evidence of smoke staining. The old truss closest to the main range is not
smoke-blackened. A comparatively modern truss adjacent to the junction with the main
range suggests some rebuilding. It is possibly that a formerly detached open hearth
kitchen with an unheated or storeyed bay was floored over when the end stack was
added was subsequently linked to the main range.
On the ground floor the remains of the through passage screens have pyramid stops and
the passage joists are chamfered and stopped. The lower end is unusually narrow
with a chamfered half-beam with step stops. The hall has a chamfered cross beam with
step stops, exposed joists and, surrounding the fireplace on the rear wall, a re-
sited round-headed chamfered doorway. The dimensions of this suggest that it was the
original doorway to the through passage. Adjacent to the fireplace, and probably
also re-sited, is a square-headed pegged doorway. The screen between hall and inner
room no longer exists: a section of it may have been re-used as an internal lobby to
the lounge bar entrance. Sections of a moulded timber cornice on either side of the
fireplace may also be re-sited.
An outstanding roof and several interior features of considerable interest.

Listing NGR: SX8666879445

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17536010

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

• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)