MSO10765 - Willsden and Springfield Cottages, Tivington (Building)

A late medieval farmhouse, part rebuilt in the 16th Century and now forming two dwellings. Built of cob, stone and smoke-blackened thatch, in an open hall three room and cross-passage plan with a 16th or 17th Century cross-wing. A smoke-blackened paired door has also been recorded.

Farmhouse, now 2 dwellings. Probably late medieval, altered and partly rebuilt C16, altered C20. Red sandstone random rubble with some cob, thatched roof hipped to left, lateral stack with slate roofed bread oven to right of entrance, brick stack on gable end at rear, also with bread oven. Plan: probably open hall house with byre, later rebuilt as crosswing. South-east front: 2 storeys, mainly C20 casements, 2-light in crosswing left, and in gabled dormer bay projection right of lateral stack, ground floor left leaded 3-light window, entrance through triple ridge tiled porch set between lateral stack and crosswing, plank door, two C20 windows beyond. Rear elevation, gable fronted bay right with 2 small windows above bread oven projection, blocked cross passage doorway to left. Interior not seen, said to contain smoke blackened cruck truss from open hall house and a clean jointed cruck truss in the crosswing, beams with step and runout stops. (VAG Report, unpublished SRO, March 1982). [1,10] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 265546. First Listed on 22/05/1969. [2] Open hall. Stone, Random rubble walls. Cruck, Gabled roof [3] The building was surveyed by the National Trust for management purposes. The building was suggested to be of a late medieval (c.15th Century) date, of an open hall three bedroom and cross-passage plan with a 16th or 17th Century cross-wing. It may have had two open hearths. The building features a jointed cruck roof structure and all smoke-blackened timbers (15th or early 16th Century), 16th or 17th Century ceiling beams, two rear ovens within fireplaces, c.19th Century plank and batten doors and a 17th Century door frame, together with casement windows, some with early 19th Century leaded lights. [4] The buildings were visited in May 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. They received a BAR score of 6. [5] The building was subject to recording work in July 2013 during refurbishment works. This included recording of the north wall exterior and interior elevations, the bathroom and the kitchen. Much of the cob walling had been replaced with red, grey and blue sandstone. A double doorway displaying smoke blackening was noted in the north end of the north wall and was thought to be a primary feature of the house. The doorway possibly serving an external stair turret (now demolished), which would suggest the first floor was partially floored over from the start and not fully open, with a solar over the inner room. This had been blocked using closely-packed red sandstone bonded with mud, possibly as late as the early 19th Century when the house became two cottages, though it likely happened earlier. Removal of a stairway and lobby revealed evidence for a removed floor joist and a former lath and plaster ceiling. [6] The house is shown on 2020 MasterMap data and labelled Springfields to the south and Wilsden to the north. [7] A file of information on the property has been collated by the RCHME. [8,10] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [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]