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Summary

Church house; walls of well cut jointed ashlar. At the west end of the slated roof is a very prominent chimney stack. The windows are wooden framed replacements, but in the centre of the upper floor is a round headed window with incipient wooden tracery over a good example of the s. Hams type of round headed doorway, slightly chamfered and with long voussoirs. The front retains its chamfered plinth and the remains of a similarly moulded stone wall plate. The rooms have a massive oak ceiling beam, and in the bar is a huge fireplace with a segmental head of red stone. This house is on the main road and opposite the south side of the church. Now an inn (copeland).

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX74NW/8
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHURCH HOUSE (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)
• INN (Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Waterhouse, R. E., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV139351.

The building is rectangular, at least 16.5m long by 7m wide and aligned east/west with the church. It is entered by a rounded arched doorway of standard south devon type. A large open ground floor ceiled by oak beams decorated with plain angle chamfers with bar stops. Evenly spaced square joists between each beam. May have been a solar at the east end of the building. Eastern end of building collapsed or was demolished in the early 1700s. The front and rear walls of the building were originally punctured with windows in every other bay. Massive fireplace to west wall with a keyed tudor gothic arch. Small smoking chamber to south side. This is built into an extension of a garderobe projection, lined with plaster it is a metre across. Narrow doorway leads to a small spiral stair. A two storey building constructed against the rear of the house possibly in the c17. Possibly intended as an ale store. The first floor appears to have been open and unpartitioned. Parishioners entered it on church feast days via a wooden stair (now demolished) which led up the front of the building from the west and entered the hall by a low and narrow arched doorway directly above the main front door, actually cutting into the arch voussoirs of the latter, suggesting that this design was decided on during construction, not before. The narrow door is deeply chamfered and headed with a possible granite arch now covered in cement render. The roof structure is a standard south devon a frame. Other roof structural features. After the roof repair of 1724 some alterations were made. On the outside of the building there are several medieval features see survey full details and plans (waterhouse).

ALCOCK, CITING COUTIN, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156807.

Jointed cruck recorded at churchouse inn (alcock, citing coutin).

COUTIN, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156808.

Recorded by malborough and salcombe local history group (coutin).

DOE, 1987, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156810.

Inn. C16 or c17, with c19 fenestration and c20 additions and modifications. Slate-stone, some slate-hanging, rendered or brick stacks, slate roofs. The present inn encompasses the original church ale house with cross-passage, 3-room plan; to the left were 4 cottages, now incorporated. Front is two storeys, no cellar located; 1:1:4 windows, mainly 2-light casements, some with glazing bars, but central light to arch in single stone over leaded y-tracery casement set in deeper opening, formerly a door approached by external stone stair, for which some evidence in walling. Below this plank and nail-head door in voussoired arch to hood on brackets. Lean-to at right has two small sashes, and another on return wall, under plain gable with large square stack, rendered to upper part; coped gable, but plain at left end, at change in roof level. Coved cornice to main block. Small lateral stack, raised in brick between bays 1 and 2 of main block. Cottages left, included 2 close-set casements, one of which in former doorway; left return includes 2 former doors one now window. Large square stack to hipped end, this part of roof lower than to main block. The back has at left end a section of slate-hanging with deep 2-light glazing-bar casement, above door. To right, roof sweeps down to 2 casements at eaves, large stack on line of original back wall and a large c20 extension, not of special interest. Right end has two 2-light casements at each level; upper level rendered, over thin bedded slate stone. Interior: ground floor has 7 main transverse chamfered beams, rough finished and without stops. At the right hand end a large full width fireplace with flat 4-centred arch on stone jambs, the right end with a cut stone corbel on 2 courses of freestone. Back has bread oven or coving chamber with cast iron door. The lateral fireplace, left of entry, has heavy granite lintel. The ground plan much modified in c20, now one large open space. Wood spiral stair at right end, by large fireplace. Corridor at first floor, back has remains of 2-light arched c16 window, now blocked. Roof to main block is 6-bay a-frame pegged, 2 very flat purlins; outer roof raised above this (doe, 1987).

1963, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156812.

Inn shown on os 6" (1907) but not os 6" (1963) (os).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156814.

Copeland, g. W. /tda/92(1960)125 fig.32/devonshire churchhouses, part 1.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156815.

Osa=sx74nw18.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156816.

Sheldon, l. /tda/69(1937)386/devon inns.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156817.

Doe/hhr:kingsbridge rd/(-/12/1960)11-12.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156818.

Coutin, k. /proc plymouth athenaeum/4(1973/74-79)51/farmhouses in south devon.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156819.

Doe/hhr:churchstow/(28/7/1989)45.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156820.

Des=waterhouse, r. E. /the church houses of south devon-an archaeological survey/(-/5/1991)55-64.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156821.

Des=os 6"(1907)132sw.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV156822.

Des=waterhouse, r. E. /the church houses of south devon - an archaeological survey/(-/5/1991)/87/copy in smr.

SHELDON, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV307.

The ground floor has been divided into three, massive beams of ceiling visible, fireplace filled in (sheldon).

Department of Environment, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV326301.

16th century structure (doe).

COPELAND, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV33318.

Church house; walls of well cut jointed ashlar. At the west end of the slated roof is a very prominent chimney stack. The windows are wooden framed replacements, but in the centre of the upper floor is a round headed window with incipient wooden tracery over a good example of the s. Hams type of round headed doorway, slightly chamfered and with long voussoirs. The front retains its chamfered plinth and the remains of a similarly moulded stone wall plate. The rooms have a massive oak ceiling beam, and in the bar is a huge fireplace with a segmental head of red stone. This house is on the main road and opposite the south side of the church. Now an inn (copeland).

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 1904-1906 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV63521.

"Church House Inn" marked.
Map object based on this source.

Brears, P., 2015, Boiling Furnaces, Smoking Chambers and Malt Kilns in West Country Households, 104 (Article in Monograph). SDV365378.

The early 16th century smoking furnace at the Church House Inn, recorded by Robert Waterhouse, had a slate slab mounted across its front, in line with the fire-back, but with openings above and below, to ensure a through updraught. This may have been designed to keep the joints quite cool, and it would have been relatively easy to hang and check them. However, in view of its exceptionally early date, its unusual design and its location only a few kilometres from the coast, it may more probably have served to smoke fish, rather than meat.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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