MSO10735 - Butlers Cottage, Holnicote (Building)

A late 16th or (more probably) 17th Century house that apparently served as the home of the butler at Holnicote House. Of particular note are the mullioned and transomed windows, which are rare in this area.

House. Probably C17, altered mid C19. Roughcast over rubble, scalloped clay tiles, hipped to left, large external stack right gable end, additional stack rising left below first floor level, lateral stack at rear. Plan: possibly 3-cell and cross passage, outshot and porch addition. Two storeys, 2:1:2 bays; left bays C18 wooden cruciform leaded windows with inset casements, centre full height gabled porch with half-timbered gable end, similar cruciform window, right bays cruciform windows and C19 many paned casements ground floor, square headed opening to porch, inner plank door. Interior not seen. This was the home of the butler at Holnicote House (not included). [1] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 265516. First Listed on 02/01/1986. [2] 3-cell plan. Stone, Render, roughcast and pebbledash walls. Gabled roof [3] The building was surveyed by the National Trust in 1995 for management purposes. It was described as a very interesting house with good mullioned and transomed windows in the front elevation (rare in this area), with plaster decoration on one ceiling suggesting it was a house of some quality. It was suggested to date to the late 16th or 17th Century and may have originated as a three-celled building with cross passage. It has a roof structure of four 17th Century trusses, lath and plaster ceilings and partitions and has a porch, stair turret and bake oven. The building is shown on the 1809-12 Holnicote Estate Survey map and named 'Newhouse', recorded as 'Late Stenner's', tenanted by John Tucker. [4] The building was visited in May 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [5] The building is depicted but not labelled on 2020 MasterMap data. [6] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [7]