MSO10773 - West Lynch House, West Lynch (Building)

Former farmhouse dating from the late 16th-early 17th Century but substantially altered and enlarged in the late 18th and early 19th Century. It was owned by the family who also owned the now mostly demolished Clarke's Mill complex.

Farmhouse, now dwelling. Late C16-early C17, refenestrated early C19, subsequently much altered internally. Roughcast over rubble and possibly cob, thatched roof, external stack left gable end, chimney renewed in brick, lateral stack between third and fourth bays left, brick stack right gable end. L-plan. Two storeys 3:2 bays; eyebrows to 4 windows left, all 16-pane sash windows, C20 2-light casement set below eaves right, ground floor left 20-pane sash windows flanking entrance, panelled door, flat roofed decorative trelliswork wooden porch, inserted C20 French windows to right of lateral stack, C20 door and 3-light casement to service wing beyond. Service end separated from house by full height roughcast wall, cement saddlback coping swept down to dwarf wall fronting house, similar wall with slate coping end bay right; dwarf wall of dressed red sandstone steeply chamfered coping set with cast iron railings, flattered heads, stepped up in sections fronting house, gate of similar design. Interior, partially seen; extensively altered, some steeply chamfered beams remain, early C19 semi-circular headed stair window with tinted glass. This was the mill owners house for the now demolished corn mill at West Lynch and the farmhouse was probably refenestrated when the mill was rebuilt c1820. (J Ridler, A Selworthy Notebook, 1983). [1] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 265555. First Listed on 22/05/1969. [2] 3-cell Cross passage plan. Stone, Random rubble, Render, roughcast and pebbledash, Painted walls. Gabled roof [3] The 2003 Conservation Area appraisal for Bossington and West Lynch advises that "West Lynch House is a former farmhouse dating from the late 16th – early 17th century, but substantially altered, including re-fenestration, probably in the early 19th century when this became the owners’ house of the now demolished Clarke’s Mill complex. This was begun in the late 18th century and enlarged in the early 19th century." [4] 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. [5] A building appraisal was conducted remotely in July 2020 based on a site visit undertaken in January 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions. The work was undertaken in advance of proposed renovation works. The house was noted to have medieval origins and have considerable architectural and historical interest, with many interior period features and complex phasing, and showing important social changes and ideas about presentation. It may originally have been part of the Holnicote estate and had other historical associations but was separately held by the early 19th Century. [6] The building is depicted but not labelled on 2020 MasterMap data. [7] The building is mentioned in the 2019 Conservation Area Appraisal for Bossington. [8] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [9]