Erw'r Esgob, St Martins

Description

Ew'r-Esgob Farmhouse II Farmhouse. C14 or C15, remodelled late C18 with later additions and alterations. Cruck frame with front and back walls and right gable end rebuilt in painted and rendered brick; graded slate roof. Original plan apparently an open- hall house of 3 framed bays later converted to 3-unit baffle type and eaves raised in late C18. 2 storeys with dentilled eaves cornice. Late C19 and C20 casements, 2 to left and one to right of entrance, those to first floor directly below eaves. C20 nail-studded plank door under contemporary open gabled porch; prominent C19 red brick axial ridge stack directly above. Pigeon nesting holes and ledges to right gable end. Lower C19 dairy to left gable end incorporates part of an earlier brick outbuilding. (Listed Building Report)

Er'w'r Esgob is a timber framed hall house of cruck construction, probably built for the bishops of St Asaph in the early 15th century. It consists of four bays with a central two-bay open hall, a long east end bay and a shorter west end bay. The smoke blackened open cruck truss in the hall is of arch-braced collar form and has V struts and a cusped decoration above the collar. The remaining cruck pairs exhibit a variety of forms. In the early 17th century the building was extensively altered by the insertion of a large stone stack and an upper floor. In this period the ground floor accommodation consisted of a central housebody with a large parlour to the east and two rooms to the west, probably a parlour and a service room. In the early to mid 18th century a narrower single-bay brick addition was constructed at the west en, probably on the site of an earlier structure. This provided a small parlour raised above a cellar, and was accompanied by the insertion of a stair in part of the westernmost cruck bay. The cruck building was encased in brick probably in the late 18th century, by which time the parlour at the east end was functioning as a kitchen; the present stair rising from the kitchen was inserted at the same time along with a fireplace heating the room above. Farm buildings adjoining the house include a barn (probably of 17th century origin) incorporating two re-used pairs of crucks, and a late 19th century stable, cart shed and granary. (Shropshire HER ref. Menuge 1995)

Comments

Timber-framed hall house of cruck construction probably built for the bishops of St Asaph in early to mid C15. Extensively altered in early C17 and extended in early C18. A cartshed, granary and barn were added in the second half of C19.