MSO10690 - Old Rose and Crown and Cape's Stores, High Street, Porlock (Building)

An early 17th Century house, originally a two-room lobby entry house. A butcher's shop was added to the east end in the late 19th Century. The present western room was originally the lower end room of the adjoining cross-passage.

The eastern part of the property (then named Capes Stores, now named Sanctuary Cottage) was surveyed in February 1982. The complete house was noted to be rubble built with two front doorways and two lateral chimneys. The roof was thatched and the front elevation included modern wooden windows. The eastern end included a shop that was connected to the eastern cottage. This cottage was of a three room and entry plan with an unknown relationship to the western end. The room at the eastern end included a large front fireplace with modern surround and three beams with ovolo moulding. A stair turret and small mural cupboard with a frame inscribed with "IH", "AH" and "1624", were also in this room. The roof was not inspected and the features seen were thought to date to the 17th Century. [1] Inn and dwelling, now dwelling and shop. C17, subsequently altered. Rendered over random rubble and cob, thatched roof with asbestos slate roofed addition right, rendered stone stack left gable end, lateral stack with brick cap betweeen second and third bays left, brick stack between fourth and fifth bays and stone stack rising from eaves between sixth and seventh bays. Plan: not clear without internal inspection, shop addition right to apparent 3 cell and cross passage dwelling with 2 cells and storeroom beyond cross passage to left. Two storeys, 2:5:1 bays, end bay left unlit on first floor of facade, C19 and C20 2 and 3-light casements, except C20 shop window end bay right, 16-pane sash window to left, gabled rustic porch beyond in sixth bay with stable-type door, and flat roofed porch with half glazed door in third bay; left return small 6-pane sash window first floor; right return 2-light window and C20 entrance to shop. Interior not sighted said to contain ovolo moulded beams in room to right of sixth bay entrance with winder stair in turret projection at rear and fine small wall cupboard, missing its 4-centred arch head door but with initials I H and A H and the date 1624. (VAG Report, unpublished SRO, February 1982). [2] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 265471. First Listed on 22/05/1969. [3] 5-cell plan. Earth, Render walls. [4] The house dates from the early 17th century and was originally a two-room lobby entry house. At the east end of the house a butcher's shop was constructed in the late 19th century and a door knocked through into the house. The present western room of Sanctuary cottage was not originally accessible being the lower end room of the adjoining cross-passage house. The main range fronting the road is roofed with thatch, the larger rear wing is thatched on its west pitch, while the east side along with the smaller wing, has been replaced with Welsh slate. [5] Only two Inns are mentioned in a directory of 1794; the Ship and the Rose and Crown. In 1870 the landlady was summoned for rowdy behaviour in the Inn. It was closed down about 1880. It is believed that RD Blackmore stayed at the Rose and Crown. [6] In a prominent position in High Street, is a former inn and dwelling Old Rose & Crown dating from the 17th century. The left part appears to be two-cell with cross-passage and store-room; that to the right apparently three-cell with cross-passage. The pair represent a fine vernacular frontages of seven bays of rendered stone and cob with thatched roof and two prominent front lateral stacks. The frontage windows are mainly timber casement of the 19th or 20th century, but the left return has a 19th century six-pane sash window at first floor level. An unpublished report by the Vernacular Architecture Group dated 1982, indicates the interior has ovolo- moulded beams, a projecting rear turret with winder stair, and an early wall cupboard with fourcentred arch head and inscribed with the initials IH and AH and a date of 1624. [7] The building was visited in March 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [8] Capes Stores. A 17th century inn, now a dwelling. [10] Sanctuary Cottage. The house dates from the early 17th century and was originally a two-room lobby entry house. At the east end of the house a butcher's shop was constructed in the late 19th century and a door knocked through into the house. The present western room of Sanctuary cottage was not originally accessible being the lower end room of the adjoining cross-passage house. The main range fronting the road is roofed with thatch, the larger rear wing is thatched on its west pitch, while the east side along with the smaller wing, has been replaced with Welsh slate. [11,12] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [13,14] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [15]