Description

HIGH BICKINGTON
SS 52 SE
4/71 Lee Barton and adjoining front
4.10.60 garden walls

GV II*

Barton and adjoining garden walls. Probably C15 or C16, remodelled in 1634 (dated
internally) with further alterations dated 1770 (on stack). Remodelled (outer walls
probably largely rebuilt) in the mid to late C19. Minor early C20 additions to the
rear . Snecked squared stone with gable-ended Welsh-slate roofs. Stone lateral and
end stacks. Uncoursed stone rubble garden walls.
Plan and development: Hall and cross-wing plan, facing east (ground falls to right).
Hall with external lateral stack to rear, cross passage to left of hall and service
room (present kitchen) to right of hall with integral end stack. Projecting gabled
cross wing at left-hand end of house consisting of parlour to front with external
lateral stack and former great bedchamber above, and former dairy in the ground-floor
at the rear with smaller bedroom above. Dog-leg staircase between front and rear
rooms in cross wing. The present staircase is late C19 but it probably replaces a
C17 staircase of a similar pattern (see early C17 doorways to ground floor and
landing). The present plan is apparently the result of the early C17 remodelling
when the present cross passage was probably inserted. The right-hand end room
(kitchen) was probably rebuilt at the same time replacing a former through passage
and service rooms. The cross wing is probably a later addition (possibly C16) but
appears to have been altered in the early C17 when the interior was remodelled. The
rear rooms of the cross wing (former dairy on ground floor) are narrower than the
front, possibly the result of later rebuildings. Late C19 straight staircase
inserted in right-hand rear corner of kitchen. Early C20 outshut at rear of right-
hand end of house. C19 garden walls enclosing front garden. Two storeys.
Exterior: Asymmetrical front. Hall range has 3 first-floor C19 two-light small-paned
wooden casements with dressed stone segmental-arched heads, slate cills, and small
gables above with pierced scalloped barge boards. Pair of large C19 ground-floor 3-
light mullioned and transomed wooden casements with dressed stone segmental-arched
heads and slate cills. Recessed doorways in angle of cross wing to left has C19
plank door with chamfered wooden frame and rectangular overlight. Doorway approached
by slate steps. Shallow porch, probably a C20 alteration of a larger C19 porch.
Small stone stack at right-hand end of hall range with weatherings. Gabled cross
wing to left has large C19 three-light mullioned and transomed wooden casement to
each floor with dressed stone segmental-arched heads and slate cills. Probable
straight joints flanking windows, suggesting that the centre of the hall was rebuilt
in the C19. Small low raking buttress to left. Gable end with pierced scalloped
barge boards. Left-hand return front of cross wing has large stone stack with
chamfered offset to right and offset to truncated later brick shaft. Datestone
illegible at time of survey (December 1987). Ground-floor French casements to right
with dressed stone segmental-arched head. Rear part of wing set back to left has
first-floor mid to late C19 margin-light staircase window to right and blocked first-
floor window to left. Rear gable end of cross wing has ground-floor 2-light wooden
casement with wooden lintel (left-hand light with internal boarded shutter). Rear
return wall of cross wing has first-and ground-floor C19 two-light small-paned wooden
casements, that to first floor with wooden lintel and that to ground floor with
dressed stone segmental-arched head and slate cill, possibly formerly a doorway (see
straight joint below, in line with right-hand jamb, although this might be evidence
of some later rebuilding). C19 plank door to left with beaded wooden frame and
dressed stone-arched head. Large stack at rear of hall has chamfered offset to right
and offsets to C19 brick shaft. First-floor C19 two-light small-paned wooden
casement to right. Ground-floor plank door to left behind two-storey outshut,
incorporating glazed porch in ground floor. C19 low stone garden wall enclosing
front garden, adjoining right-hand gable end of house. Gateway opposite front door
and plank door in wall adjacent to gable end.
Interior: Notable for its fine joinery and plasterwork. Old large fireplace at rear
of hall divided in the C19, with smaller fireplace to right, cupboard to left with
plank door, and chamfered wooden chimney-piece with mantelshelf. C17 decorative
plaster overmantel consisting of central shield set in a cartouche with flanking
strapwork etc. Rather blurred by later layers of paint. C17 oak plank and muntin
screen between hall and passage. More elaborate passage side of screen with ovolo-
moulded panels above the middle rail and sunk-chamfered muntins below with ogee
stops. All sunk-chamfered to hall side. Central doorway, with C19 four-panelled
door and 2-part rectangular overlight. C17 enriched plaster frieze along left-hand
wall of passage, with repeated motif of pair of prancing horses. Front ground-floor
room in cross wing (parlour) has fine C17 enriched plasterwork. Plaster frieze with
repeated moulded floral motif and moulded plaster cornice. The ceiling has a pair of
plaster - cased cross beams and half beams to front and back, each with moulded
cornice each side and moulded wreaths on underside. Three panels between beams with
thin moulded ribs and moulded floral motifs. The fireplace has a C17 enriched
plaster chimney-piece consisting of frieze with repeating flower motif, raised
central 'key' shields at each end and moulded cornice. Enriched C17 plaster
overmantel with central strapwork dated 1634 and flanking female figures holding a
cornucopia (right-hand) and frond (left-hand). Fireplace reduced probably in the
late C17 or early C18 by the introduction of plaster inner surround with incised
rustication. Rear ground-floor room of cross wing (dairy) divided by C19 slatted
wooden screen. Staircase hall between front and rear rooms of cross wing has C19
dog-leg wooden staircase with half landing, closed string, stick balusters, turned
newel posts, and segmental arch at foot. Early C17 doorways to front and back rooms
on each floor have C17 pegged ovolo-moulded wooden frames (ovolo mitred) with ogee
stops and C17 nail-studded doors with 3 tall moulded panels. Kitchen has C17 nail-
studded ribbed cupboard door to left of fireplace. C19 staircase to rear of kitchen
with matchboarded sides. Much mid to late C19 joinery throughout house, including 4-
panelled doors.
Roof: House largely reroofed in the early C17 and further altered in the mid to late
C19. Five-bay C17 roof over hall range has trusses consisting of straight principals
with mortice and tenoned apices and lap-jointed collars. Former threaded purlins and
diagonally-set ridge-piece were moved during the late C19 reroofing. Unblackened
earlier truss (probably C15 or C16 between first and second C17 trusses from right,
with straight principals and mortice and tenoned collar. C17 roof trusses over cross
wing too. The trusses over the front bedroom have small triangular blocks in the
angles of principals and collars which suggest that there was formerly a coved
plaster ceiling over this room. The top of the partition between the front bedroom
and the top of the staircase is visible in the roofspace and has evidence of former
plaster strapwork decoration on the bedroom side, confirming the former existence of
a C17 enriched plaster ceiling over this room (confirmed by the owner - January
1988).
This house, notable for its C17 plasterwork, forms part of a farmstead group, also
including a range of farmbuildings (q.v.), possibly formerly a service range, and a
range of pigstys (q.v.).

Listing NGR: SS5761820912

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17536748

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

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)