Description

THELBRIDGE WESTCOTT LANE
SS 81 SW
3/272
- Westcott Farmhouse including byre
and linhay adjoining to east
GV
II

Farmhouse. C16 with C17, C18 and C19 improvements, alterations and additions. Cob
on rubble footings is plastered to front, exposed to rear; rubble stacks most topped
with C19 and C20 brick; slate roof to main house, corrugated iron to byre, linhay and
dairy (all formerly thatched). Long rambling building facing south and built down a
slope. Core of house is a much-altered 3-room-and-through-passage plan house with
inner room towards left (west) and late C18-early C19 2-room parlour extension on
left end. C16 or C17 byre with hayloft over adjoining right (east) end of service
room, and C18 linhay offset back from main front on right end. C17 small dairy
block at right angles to rear of hall. Projecting left (west) end stack to late C18-
early C19 block, axial stack between extension and inner room, and large axial hall
stack backing onto former passage. Rear of former passage now occupied by large oven
and smoking chamber arrangement with its own chimney - probably C18. 2 storeys.
Irregular frontage with varied fenestration. The roofline steps down 3 times
breaking the front into 4 sections and is described from left to right. Late C18-
early C19 extension at left (west) end has 2-window front of late C19 horned 16-pane
sashes with a small 4-pane sash to stairhead. Left of centre is an irregular 3-
window front to former inner room, hall and passage. Most here are late C19
casements with glazing bars. Inner room has late C19 French windows with margin
panes of coloured glass behind C20 glass-roofed conservatory and a late C19 door with
glazed panel including margin lights of coloured glass behind C20 gabled and
corrugated iron roofed porch. Plain door to right is inserted to hall and window to
right of this door blocks original front passage doorway. Third section right of
centre includes service end and byre and has plain plank doors to each room and late
C19 casement with glazing bars over service room and loading hatch to byre hayloft.
Small implement shed on right end of byre. Right end section set back from main
front is an 8-bay linhay with its roof hipped at the end. Hall stack has original
rubble chimney shaft with dripcourse and coping. Rear elevation of exposed cob and
rubble shows several rubble blockings and alterations to original house. Late C18-
early C19 extension has rubble to first floor level with cob above. The few windows
to rear are late C19-early C20 casements with glazing bars.
Good interior of a house with long and complex structural history. Continuous roof
over inner room, hall, passage, service room and byre comprising side-pegged jointed
cruck trusses with trenched purlins and ridge. Roof space is inaccessible over hall
and inner room and, therefore, evidence for early smoke-blackening cannot be
ascertained. Also many early features in original house are hidden by later plaster.
Hall has large stone rubble fireplace with plain-chamfered oak lintel. Crossbeams
plastered over in C19. Inner room has late C17 plaster ceiling with moulded plaster
cornice which is also carried around probably earlier cross beam. Inner room
fireplace is blocked. Former passage blocked by brick and rubble oven and smoking
chamber arrangement. Service room has C17 chamfered and straight cut stopped
crossbeam and is separated from byre by blind cob crosswall. Byre has probably C17
massive plain-chamfered crossbeam. Jointed cruck roof to byre and framed division
between first floor rooms over service room and byre suggest that service room and
byre are contemporary. Late C18-early C19 extension refurbished in late C19 but has
roof of A-frame trusses with pegged lap-jointed collars. Open fronted linhay at
right (east) end has massive oak posts resting on stone pads (Alcocks Type T1).
Posts and hayloft beams appear earlier than late C18-early C19 A-frame roof trusses
which have pegged lap-jointed collars. Right end bay has secondary front cob wall.
Interesting unmodernised farmhouse.

Listing NGR: SS8017311821

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26543202

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

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)