MSO10564 - Luccombe Post Office and Ketnor (Building)

A cottage and post office, dendrochronolgically dated to 1437. It contains evidence of smoke-blackened thatch and roof timbers and the chimney and first floor were added in the late 16th Century. A mounting block is situated outside.

Cottage including Post Office, mounting block and wall box. Probably 16th century in date and enlargedin early C17 with a south wing, there is also an early 19th century addition to west. The building is rendered over rubble and cob, thatched roof, half hipped left, hipped to right, roughcast lateral stack with circular chimney to right of entrance, tall brick stack rising from eaves right return. Plan: probably single cell heated by lateral stack, enlarged to L-plan, Post Office addition right with angled return wall and outshut at rear forming square plan. Two storeys. Interior not seen. 19th century wall box with name of Smith and Hawkes Birmingham at base. A picturesque irregular thatched cottage. (Photograph in NMR). [1] The jointed-cruck roof of formerly single-storey open-hall house was dendrochronologically dated to the summer of 1437. The date was obtained from thatching laths. [2] Luccombe Post office is unique on the Holnicote Estate as it retains the smoke blackened thatch of its orginial medieval roof. The first floor was added in the 16th Century. The property is one and a half storeys and a slightly off set rear wing. The door to the post office is at the west of the front elevation and there is a letterbox in the wall. The internal roof structure consists of four jointed cruck trusses, the timbers of the roof, like the thatch, are smoke blackened. [3] The former Post Office with mounting block and wall box, is a partly medieval building containing evidence of smoke-blackened thatch and blackened roof timbers from an openhearth fire. The chimney and first floor were added in the late 16th century. [4] The buildings were visited in May 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. The cottage and post office received a BAR score of 5 and the mounting block and wall box received a score of 4A. [5] The building is depicted on the 2020 MasterMap data. It is labelled "Ketnor" and the wall box is marked "LB" on its northern elevation. [6] The building is mentioned in the 2018 Conservation Area Appraisal for Luccombe. [7] The building features in the book "Exmoor Village". [8] Ketnors contains a jointed cruck. Dendrochronological testing has provided a felling date of 1437 for the timber. [9] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [10]