Description

NORTH HUISH

SX75NW
4/447 Bickham
9.2.61

GV II

Farmhouse. Probably C17 with a circa mid C19 addition at the south end.
Stone mostly slate rubble, the circa 1850 addition rendered and lined out.
Slate roofs, the rear north wing with gable end, the circa 1850 addition
has hipped slate roof with deep eaves, the slates coated with bitumen, and
the eaves have moulded cast iron gutters. Large rendered axial stack over
the north wing, the rear lateral stack has been truncated. The rear stacks
of the mid C19 addition have also been truncated.
Plan: The north wing was probably a 2 or 3 room and through passage plan,
the lower end to the left (south). The right end may have been the inner
room or it may be an addition (straight masonry joint at front east); in
either case its large rear lateral stack suggests this end was converted
into a kitchen. Probably in C19 the higher end was partitioned and
another stack inserted into the passage with back-to-back fireplaces, one
fireplace heating the newly formed centre room and the other fireplace
heating the lower room. In circa 1850 the lower left end of the lower room
was truncated and a spacious 2 room plan south facing block with a central
entrance hall was built at about 80 to the old range which was relegated to
a rear service wing. Although the 1850 format is symmetrical the right
hand room is smaller and the symmetry is achieved by placing the doorway to
the left of the stair hall with a classical porch in the middle of the
facade.
Exterior: 2 storeys. The circa 1850 addition facing south has a
symmetrical 3 window front with 16-pane sashes, centre first floor a 12-
pane sash, all replaced in the 1980s. Central doorway has a porch with
large rendered Doric columns and altered entablature; pilasters either side
of doorway with rectangular fanlight with glazing bars and C19 6-panel
door, the top 4 panels glazed.
The rear wing projects at angle of about 80; it has a 4 window east front,
the first floor window to left of centre is blocked and has a C19 panelled
door below with a late C19 glazed porch; the windows are mid to late C19 3-
light casements with glazing bars and flat stone arches except for the
ground floor window to the right which has a wooden lintel and C20
casement. The back (west) of the rear (north) wing has a truncated
projected lateral stack to the left with a stair turret to its right, and a
C19 single storey outshut across most of the west side of this wing.
Interior: The north (back) room of the rear wing has 2 roughly chamfered
ceiling beams without stops and a large lateral fireplace with a very large
chamfered slate lintel; triangular recess in the side of the fireplace and
a separate shaft at the back of the stack which may have been a flue for a
curing chamber at the back, no longer extant. The chamber above has a
small semi-circular recessed fireplace with a slate lintel.
The mid C19 addition; left hand room has a moulded plaster cornice and a
black marble chimneypiece with an iron grate with decorative tiles either
side. Smaller right hand room has C20 brick fireplace and moulded plaster
cornice. The central entrance hall has a moulded plaster cornice,
centrepiece with carved wooden acanthus leaves and an open well staircase
with an open string with scrolled tread ends, stick balusters and a
moulded mahogany handrail ramped up to turned newels and wreathed over the
curtail. Most of the C19 joinery survives including 6-panel doors and some
of the internal window shutters.
Roof over the rear north wing has C20 bolted softwood trusses.

Listing NGR: SX7242155583

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26610596

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

• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)