History in Structure

Birdcombe Court and Birdcombe Court Farmhouse

A Grade II* Listed Building in West Hill, North Somerset

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.4436 / 51°26'37"N

Longitude: -2.7506 / 2°45'2"W

OS Eastings: 347930

OS Northings: 171894

OS Grid: ST479718

Mapcode National: GBR JJ.N6TR

Mapcode Global: VH88K.8ZQ6

Plus Code: 9C3VC6VX+FQ

Entry Name: Birdcombe Court and Birdcombe Court Farmhouse

Listing Date: 13 October 1952

Grade: II*

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1311776

English Heritage Legacy ID: 33584

ID on this website: 101311776

Location: West Hill, North Somerset, BS48

County: North Somerset

Civil Parish: Wraxall and Failand

Traditional County: Somerset

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Somerset

Tagged with: Architectural structure

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Description


ST 47 SE WRAXALL TOWER HOUSE LANE (south-west side)

3/193 Birdcombe Court and Birdcombe
13.10.52 Court Farmhouse
-
II*

Manor or court house. Probably C14, altered and extended mid - late C15 (tower
and south wing), C17 and early - mid C19 (probably c.1834). Rendered - pantiled
and double Roman tiled roofs, hipped to the left with a moulded cornice;
rendered stacks. A T-plan building, formerly with an open hall to the north and
a solar cross-wing to the south; later extensions to each side. The front
elevation is dominated by the highly unusual 5-stage porch and stair-tower:
probably mid - late C15, although the upper stages terminating in an ogee-domed
lead roof are probably later; 2-stage buttress with off-sets to either side of a
wide 4-centred archway which has a double ogee moulded surround; the second and
third stages have 2-light windows with hollow chamfered mullions and cusped
heads, above are 2-light windows in hollow surrounds; the porch has a tierceron
vault with heraldic bosses (possibly the Courtenay and Perceval families) and
springing on male and female heads in C15 head-dresses; further, partly blocked,
wide 4-centred arch to north; the front door to the cross passage is off-set
and has a moulded and pointed surround and a hoodmould with diamond stops. To
the left of the tower is the 2 storey, single bay end of the cross wing: 2:3:2-
light C19 bay window on the ground floor with gothick cusped pointed lights;
4-light cross window on the first floor in ovolo moulded surrounds and mullions.
To the right of the tower is an early - mid C19 extension: 3 storeys, two 3-light
casement windows with wooden cusped tracery heads and under dripmoulds. The
south elevation of the cross-wing has 4 buttresses with off-sets: 3 bays; to
the east is a 2-light window, in the centre a single light window both with
cinquefoil heads; to the west is a C19 bay window with cusped lights on the
ground floor and above is a 2-light window with a hollow moulded surround and
pointed heads. Setback to the west is a C17 - C18 extension: rubble, 2 storeys;
3 bays, 2- and 3-light casement windows (one chamfered on the first floor);
central projecting C20 porch flanked by buttresses which support a gable. At
the far left (west) is a projecting 2-storey wing (formerly a barn): two 2- and
3-light casement windows and a central C20 door. Interior. Cross passage
with a gallery above: to the south wing are two doorways with chamfered surrounds
and 4-centred heads; the head beam of the screen survives, and is moulded with
an embattled upper edge; rear doorway is plain chamfered and has a 2-centred
head; beyond the rear door is a small room (possibly formerly having a stairway)
with a 2-centred, hollow-step-ogee moulded doorway. Hall: inserted late
C16/early C17 fireplace; raised cruck truss with an arch-braced, cambered
collar beam (windbraces removed). Tower: the doorway to the first stage has an
ogee-hollow moulded surround and a 4-centred head; chamfered fire surround in
first room; newel stair; stop-chamfered surrounds to doors on second and third
stages. South or cross wing was formerly 2 rooms (now subdivided into 3, with
the west one being in Birdcombe Farmhouse: C19 stair; first floor west room
has a hollow-ogee moulded stone doorway and a fireplace with a moulded surround
and mantelshelf; the room below has hollow-double ogee moulded beams; the roof
has 4 arch-braced collar beam trusses (the principals have curved feet as raised
crucks), butt purlins and 2 tiers of windbraces, (the lower one with incised
cusping), embattled wall plate. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England : North
Somerset and Bristol, 1958. M.R. Bismanis and N. Cooper Archaeological Journal,
134, 1977. E.H.D. Williams and R.G. Gilson, Unpublished Report, Somerset and
South Avon Vernacular Architecture, 1980).


Listing NGR: ST4793071894

External Links

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