Description

NORTH HUISH
SX75NW
4/451
9.2.61 Butterford

II

Part of a large country house much of which has been demolished. Built in
1790 for Thomas or his brother Walter Palk, possible with additions of
circa 1810. Rendered stone with limestone rusticated quoins and plinth;
former service wing is slate hung. Slate roofs with gabled ends and with
lead rolls to the ridge; service wing has slightly lower level roof with
hipped end and clad in asbestos slates. Rendered axial stacks.
Plan: The old house was demolished in 1788 and rebuilt in circa 1790. It
was 3 storeys with a 2:3:2 bay south east front, the pedimented slightly
advanced centre 3 bays with rusticated quoins. The right and left hand 2
bays continued at the rear as service wings and returned at the back to
form a courtyard with a carriageway through the right hand range. Some of
the ranges at the back may have been added in 1810. In the 1930s most of
the house was demolished except for the left hand 2 bays and the left hand
wing behind with its returned range at the back which is linked to the
surviving rear end of the right hand service wing with a carriageway
through. The principal front of the existing house is the left hand (south
west) return of the original house.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Symmetrical 4 window range except that the doorway
is to the left of centre with a Tuscan porch with a heavy entablature and
half glazed door. The 2 first floor windows to the right and to the right
of centre and the ground floor window to the right are blind; the others
are large C10 12-pane sashes, the first floor left is a C20 casement. They
are the original window openings and this range has limestone cills,
rusticated quoins and plinth which also survives on the right hand end
which is the remaining 2 left hand bays of the original front, where the
windows are 12-pane sashes, the first floor right is C20. To the left of
present front (side of the original house) the slate hung service wing is
slightly set back and has lower eaves with moulded cast iron gutter with
lion mask joints; asymmetrical 4 window range of 12-pane sashes on first
floor (left hand replaced by C20 casement) and 2-light 8-pane sashes on
ground floor. The back of the main range is now slate hung and the service
wing is whitewashed stone rubble with 12-pane sashes.
The back of the right hand wing to the north east is now almost detached;
it has a segmentally arched carriageway through, 2 storeys, 3 window range,
small openings with flat slate arches; to the left of the carriageway the
end wall of the demolished. Right hand wing survives with its rusticated
quoins.
Interior: In the remaining part of the main range the principal room has
only a section of its moulded plaster cornice because most of the wall and
ceiling plaster has been removed after dry rot was discovered. There is a
Devonian marble chimneypiece in this room with bolection moulding,
probably late C19. The room to the north of the passage has a white
marble chimneypiece of circa 1830 and a moulded ceiling cornice of the same
date. Some of the late C18 panelled doors survive. Set of servants bells
in the passage.
Botiford, a Saxon estate was referred to in the Domesday Book. "Botesford
was the dwelling of Philip Boterford in Edward I reight" (Risdon 1605-30).
It belonged to the May and Gibbs families until Elizabeth I. In 1788
Richard Stade of Newnham sold it to Thomas Palk who demolished the old
house and sold it to his brother Walker Palk of Morley. It is uncertain
which of the Palks rebuilt the house in circa 1790.
Historic information provided by the owner.

Listing NGR: SX7072856153

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26610615

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

• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)