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Summary

Row of 3 cottages, formerly the Church House. Early 16th century, restored 1938. Built of a mixture of slatestone and granite rubble with quoins of large dressed granite blocks; details also in granite. Slated roof. Large granite chimneystack with offsets and tapered top, projecting from front wall off centre to left. On right-hand gable a large granite ashlar stack with tapered top. On left-hand gable a smaller granite stack, also with tapered top.
Plan: Original plan almost certainly had 3 rooms in the ground storey with opposing front and back doors at the right-hand end of the central hall; there is no evidence of a through-passage.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1358910: ST MICHAEL'S COTTAGE

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77NE29
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 898204
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NE/8
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 439507

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHURCH HOUSE (Built, XV to XVI - 1500 AD (Between) to 1535 AD (Between))
• WORKHOUSE (Altered, XVII to XIX - 1700 AD (Between) to 1818 AD (Between))
• COTTAGE NON SPECIFIC (Altered, XIX - 1839 AD (Between) to 1840 AD (Between))

Full description

Pearson, J. B., 1900, Church Houses in Devon, 210 (Article in Serial). SDV5752.

According to the records of the charity commissioners of 1818 it was then a poorhouse.

Copeland, G. W., 1960, Devonshire Church-Houses: Part 1, 127-128 (Article in Serial). SDV298102.

Church-house has been restored and converted into dwellings, St. Michael's Cottages. A larger building than usual, immediately west of the church. Of two storeys divided by a chamfer course, which acts as a continuous drip-course to the lower windows. One of the latter towards the west shows traces of a moulded architrave, as does an upper one, which is four-centered. West also are two depressed and moulded granite doorways one with good carved spandrels. At the rear is a chamfered elliptical-headed doorway and a shallow rectangular projection for a staircase. The windows on this side are wooden-framed and mainly with oak lintels. West again is a prominent chimney-breast in two tiers tapering into a stack with a suggestion of a conical cap. Walls well built, in part of granite ashlar. An extension towards the south covers an entrance to the churchyard and is supported on modern pillar-jambs the two doorways suggest that a cottage may have adjoined the former church- house. Within a large four-centered granite fireplace has survived, but the circular stone staircase has been removed. Some window tracery has been incorporated in a low wall between the house and the rear.
Probably dates from 15th century, when church was enlarged and the same masons built the church-house.

Copeland, G. W., 1964, Devonshire church-houses Part V, 203-4 (Article in Serial). SDV299096.

Department of Environment, 1986, Ilsington, 70 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV282617.

Row of 3 cottages, formerly the Church House. Early 16th century, restored 1938. Built of a mixture of slatestone and granite rubble with quoins of large dressed granite blocks; details also in granite. Slated roof. Large granite chimneystack with offsets and tapered top, projecting from front wall off centre to left. On right-hand gable a large granite ashlar stack with tapered top. On left-hand gable a smaller granite stack, also with tapered top.
Plan: Original plan almost certainly had 3 rooms in the ground storey with opposing front and back doors at the right-hand end of the central hall; there is no evidence of a through-passage. No. 1 now has the inner room and upper end of the hall, no 2 the rest of the hall, and no 3 the kitchen. The upper storey probably consisted of a single long room entered by an outside staircase at the right-hand end of the front wall. There is some evidence of an internal staircase beside the kitchen stack, and a shallow projection behind the inner room that may have been a garderobe.
Exterior: Two storeys. Five-window front; the windows all have early 20th century wood casements with 6 or 8 panes per light. In the ground storey No. 2 has a moulded granite doorway with a 4-centred arch having carved spandrels, the original entrance to the hall. No evidence of original partitions. No smoke-blackening.
Building converted into a poor house in 18th century and sold by the parish for conversion into private dwellings in 1839. See List for full details.

Waterhouse, R. E., 1991, The Church Houses of South Devon: an archaeological survey, 32-38 (Report - Survey). SDV7736.

Ilsington church house has a three room ground plan with separated kitchen and newel stair with open pentice roof. Now known as St. Michael's Cottages. It has a long rectangular plan, aligned north/south. Constructed of an assortment of dressed and rough iron stained granite rubble with massive squared ashlar blocks forming the quoins and jambs. Saved from demolition in 1938 by a local man it was restored. A 1900 postcard shows the oldest surviving view of the building.
The kitchen is located on the south end of the house, being entered by a well-proportioned granite ashlar doorway with a flattened elliptical arch. The centrally placed hearth occupies most of the south wall, there being small recesses to east and west. There was once a newel staircase but according to parish poor house accounts this has been blocked since 1828. Outside, apparently supporting it on the south gable wall is a very small buttress. The hearth has a massive oak bressumer, which appear to be secondary, as above it is a depressed arch of rough granite ashlar. The screen dividing the kitchen from the central lobby has been removed and replaced with a modern wall, but the existence of separate outside doors to both rooms suggest that it was solid, with no connecting door.
The central lobby is entered by a wide door with an elliptical head with recessed quarter spandrels and other decoration. In the west wall of the lobby is a massive lateral hearth with a 4 centred chamfered oak bressumer. A small inglenook opens off its north side. The ceiling beams are plain chamfered. Between them, the joists are deeply chamfered with plain cut out stops. Opposite the front door, in the rear wall, a much narrower door with a deeply chamfered elliptical arch enters the churchyard. The present partition of the lobby from the solar is of rendered brick and is a bay south of its original position.
The roof structure is of a non-standard design, being a slightly more decorated version of the south Devon half cruck A-frame. Other features described, see survey for full details and drawings.

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

Building is depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, 1358910 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

ILSINGTON ILSINGTON SX 77 NE 3/124 Nos. 1, 2 and 3 St Michael's 23.8.55 Cottages - GV II*
Row of 3 cottages, formerly the church house. Early C16, restored 1938. Built of a mixture of slatestone and granite rubble with quoins of large dressed granite blocks; details also in granite. Slated roof. Large granite chimneystack with offsets and tapered top, projecting from front wall off centre to left. On right- hand gable a large granite ashlar stack with tapered top. On left-hand gable a smaller granite stack, also with tapered top.
Original plan almost certainly had 3 rooms in the ground storey with opposing front and back doors at the right-hand end of the central hall; there is no evidence of a through-passage. No.1 now has the inner room and upper end of the hall, No.2 the rest of the hall, and No.3 the kitchen. The upper storey probably consisted of a single long room entered by an outside staircase at the right-hand end of the front wall. There is some evidence of an internal staircase beside the kitchen stack, and a shallow projection behind the inner room that may have been a garderobe.
2 storeys. 5-window front; the windows all have early C20 wood casements with 6 or 8 panes per light. In the ground storey No.2 has a moulded granite doorway with a 4-centred arch having carved spandrels, the original entrance to the hall. To the right of it No.3 has a chamfered granite doorway with a 4-centred arch, the original entrance to the kitchen. At the left-hand end the doorway of No.1 also has a 4-centred arch, but this is probably a C19 insertion. There is a continuous stringcourse at sill-level in the second storey, stopping just short of the former doorway at right-hand end, now converted into a window; doorway has moulded granite surround with 4-centred arch. Rear wall facing churchyard has casement windows matching those at the front. Original rear doorway, opposite the front door of No.2, has chamfered granite surround with segmental arch; now blocked and window inserted. At right-hand (north) end, behind No.1, is a shallow projection rising to eaves level and having a pent roof of stone slabs; it may have been a garderobe.
Interior: former hall (now sub-divided, the main part in the 2 ground storey rooms of No.2, the remainder in the right-hand room of No.1) has broad chamfered upper- floor beams with run-out and straight-cut stops (it is sometimes difficult to be certain which was intended); chamfered joists with step-stops. Above the left-hand end-wall in No.1 is the head-beam of a plank-and-muntin screen with hollow and three-quarter-round mouldings; studs appear to have been removed. In front wall (at No.2) is a large blocked fireplace with wooden lintel. Inner room (in No.1) has plain joists running lengthways (no beam). Small gable-fireplace with mutilated wood lintel. Former kitchen (in No.3) has also been sub-divided; it has upper floor beams like those in the hall, but with plain joists. Very wide, deep gable- fireplace, mostly blocked, with cambered and chamfered wood lintel having immediately above it a relieving arch following the line of the camber. No visible features in upper storey.
Roof has 10 side-pegged jointed-cruck trusses, including 2 gable trusses; butt purlins, cranked collars. The top of the curved part of the cruck projects slightly and is rounded. Not possible to see if the ridge-piece is original. No evidence of original partitions. No smoke-blackening. Building converted into a Poor House in C18 and sold by the Parish for conversion into private dwellings in 1839. Source: guide to St Michael's Church, Ilsington.
Listing NGR: SX7850576145

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 24/05/2022 (Website). SDV364039.

NRHE record 898204 quotes: Originating as a purpose built Church House, in the late c15th/early c16th. Likely in same build as the tower and much fabric of the adjacent Church of St Michael, which was extensively re built and extended at that date. The finely moulded entrance to the former ground floor hall, has very marked similarities with that of the church porch, suggesting a common origin (email correspondence 09-OCT-2014 Mr M Dyer).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV2973 - The Church Houses of South Devon: an archaeological survey

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