Description

AWLISCOMBE
SY 10 SW

5/5 Pulshayes
22.2.55

GV II

House. 1846 (datestone) but probably a remodelling of an earlier house shown on the
1809 OS map (old list description), late 1970s repairs. Rendered stone rubble with
stone dressings and a very steeply-pitched roof with deep eaves covered with red
hexagonal tiles; axial stack with a cluster of rendered shafts. A most unusual
design, dominated by a 3-stage tower and rather Germanic in character.
Plan: The core is a single depth, east-facing range, with 2 principal rooms and an
approximately central projecting stair tower at the front, square on plan, with a
tower room at the top. A north wing, at right angles to the main range and adjoining
at the north-west corner, contains service rooms. The main entrance of the house is
into a lean-to aganist the east wall of the north wing. Rear (west) outshut. The
accommodation has been extended into a co-eval farmbuilding adjoining the north wing
at the west.
Exterior: 2 storeys, 3 storey tower. Asymmetrical east front, the tower
approximately central with a moulded stone plinth and a steep pyramidal roof.
Moulded string courses mark the stages and the stair is lit by narrow, rectangular,
stone-framed windows. Under the eaves, lighting the tower room, pairs of quatrefoil
windows with square stone frames. On the east face, a datestone of 1846 associated
with a coat of arms is carved in relief and said to be Italian. To the right of the
tower an eccentric original canted bay window with hollow-chamfered stone mullions
and an idiosyncratic arrangement of stone shafts supported on stone corbels beneath
the cill. A similar window exists on the south side (left return). To the left of
the tower, a 2-light stone mullioned window with hollow-chamfered mullions. Other
windows on the south elevation are also original, some 1970s copies have been added
to the outshut.
Interior: Plan form largely intact, with service rooms upgraded, particularly the
outshut which is said to have been a dairy. Chimney-piece originate from elsewhere.
The stair has an original timber handrail curving round the central core. The tower
room is delighted; stained glass survives in the windows, the roof has a plaster
vault with diagonal ribs and a central foliage boss.
A remarkable building, said to have erected by an Italian. Its un-English character
is emphasised by an avenue of poplars (which post-date the house.)

Listing NGR: ST1488801717

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26499482

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

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)