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Summary

Early 19th century house, now a shop, with a 16th or 17th century rear wing.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1385067: 127, BOUTPORT STREET

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS53SE/138
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (XVI to XIX - 1501 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Egeland, P., 12/11/1981, 127 Boutport Street (Worksheet). SDV342346.

Site visit November 1981 in connection with application for change of use from residential to retail. 127 Boutport Street comprises a Georgian front block built onto a 17th/18th century merchants house. The central hall from front to rear was the former outside passage of the merchants house. Double twist stair survives in passage. Original stair survives in rear block, also original openings. Part of the wall at the back of the rear yard appears to be the original town wall.

Department of Environment, 1973, Barnstaple, 16 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV89941.

Dyer, M. + Collings, A. G. + Henderson, C. G., 1994, Archaeological Assessment of Proposed Extension to the North Country Inn, 128 Boutport Street, Barnstaple (Report - Assessment). SDV342316.

The current Department of Environment listing merely describes the 18th century brick front elevation. Recently, however, many historic features have been revealed in the interior, which is now recognised as a 17th century house of considerable architectural importance. The original plan has been modified to some extent by recent alterations, but it is possible to reconstruct missing elements from the 1885 Ordnance Survey map and from an architect's undated plan copied in 1988 by the Barnstaple historic buildings survey. A side passage originally ran the length of the building on its south-west side. A 3-storey front block contains a first-floor room with a decorated plaster ceiling of circa 1700 and a panelled wall. To rear of the front block a small open courtyard (now covered over) was crossed at first-floor level by 2 galleries, one on each side of the house, leading to a long back block.
The rear wall of main house was circa 20m back from boutport street frontage. Wrapped around it by 1885 were 3 building ranges facing onto a courtyard contained within the wider south-west part of the property next to Green Lane. A 2-storey block containing a through-passage lay parallel to the lane. Most of this has now gone, but a length of the sea (south-west) wall survives in the present beer-store. Also surviving is the front (south-east) wall of a 2-storey range now represented by the skittle alley. This wall at first floor level appears to comprise fairly recent timber framing, whilst on the ground floor there were formerly 2 large double doorways.
The earliest known deeds are from 1797. The earliest known occupier is the Rev. Robert Luck, who died circa 1748. it is not known when the property became the North Country Inn. Some time between 1807 and 1812 the land tax was combined with that paid on the garden adjoining to the west (129) and an assignment of the mortgage in 1817 gives the first known reference to the North Country Inn.
A change in the land tax assessment for 1821 suggests that a house may have been built on the former garden to the west. Pigot's directory for 1822-3, says it was bounded on the west by a dwellinghouse.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

127 Boutport Street. House, now shop. Early C19, with C16 or C17 rear wing. Solid, rendered walls probably of brick or stone; walls at rear could be of stone or cob. Front gable of rear wing, which rises well above the roof of street range, is slate-hung. Slated roof at front; remainder is covered with corrugated asbestos. No chimneys visible from street. Plan consists of 2 rooms in street range with staircase at rear of left-hand room. One room in rear wing to right which lies partly behind the neighbouring building, No.128 (qv). 2 storeys with garret. 3-window range. Round-arched doorway in centre of ground storey. All windows have 6-paned sashes, those in the ground storey altered to become fixed sashes. Moulded wooden eaves cornice. Single gabled dormer window in centre of roof with 8-paned sashes. Front gable of rear wing has 3-light casement window with 3 panes per light; plain barge-boards. INTERIOR: 1988 list description mentions early C19 wooden staircase with thin, square-section balusters. Rear wing has C16 or C17 upper-floor beam with convex stops. There are likely to be other early features, especially fireplaces, hidden under plaster. Roof rebuilt in late C20.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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