Pirton

99. PIRTON.

(O.S. 6 in. vi. S.E.)

Ecclesiastical

(1). Parish Church of St. Mary, stands in the middle of the village. It is built of flint rubble with stone dressings; the chancel is roofed with tiles, and the nave with lead. The Nave and the Central Tower were built in the 12th century, but the tower was re-built from the foundations in 1883. The walls of the Chancel are possibly of the 12th century, but the earliest details are of c. 1330. The South Porch, with an upper stage, was added c. 1380. The church was generally restored in 1883.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (24 ft. by 18 ft.) has an E. window of three lights, originally of the 14th century, but defaced and altered in the 17th century. In the N. wall is a 15th-century window of two cinque-foiled lights with tracery, and in the S. wall is a similar window, and a window of three lights, also of the 15th century. The doorway on the S. has a two-centred arch. The Central Tower (17 ft. by 16 ft.), re-built in 1883 with the old materials, has E. and W. round arches of c. 1130, with a diaper pattern worked on several of the stones; the S. arch is blocked and on the N. is a doorway; both are of c. 1330. The Nave (56 ft. by 26 ft.) has in the N. wall a 15th-century window of three cinque-foiled lights with tracery, partly blocked, and a 14th-century window of two cinque-foiled lights with a quatrefoil under a two-centred head; between them is a 12th-century window, now blocked. The N. doorway is also blocked inside, but the two-centred arch and single-splayed jambs can be seen outside, and are of the 14th century. In the S. wall is a similar arrangement of windows, but of the 12th-century window only the E. jamb and part of the arch remain, and the easternmost window has 14th-century jambs. The 14th-century S. doorway has a two-centred arch of two orders. The W. window is of three lights with tracery, under a two-centred head, and is now blocked. The South Porch has a two-centred entrance archway and a stone seat. The upper stage has an original two-light window in the S. wall; the E. and W. windows are blocked, and the floor has been removed, leaving the porch open to the roof. The Roof of the chancel has a modern plastered ceiling, and the roof of the nave is also modern.

Fittings—Bells: five; 5th, 1634. Chest: in chancel, probably 17th-century. Doors: in N. and S. doorways, probably 14th-century; the N. door much battered. Glass: in W. window of N. wall of nave, fragments, painted, 14th-century: in E. window of S. wall of nave, fragments, 15th-century. Monument: on W. wall of nave, tablet, to Jane, wife of Thomas Docwra, 1645, with arms and inscription. Painting: on N. wall of nave, discovered in 1883, now undecipherable. Piscina: in chancel, double, with central pillar, 14th-century. Plate: includes two cups and two patens of Sheffield plate.

Condition—Good.

Secular

(2). Toot Hill, in the village S.W. of the church, stands on ground sloping eastwards, at from 250 to 230 ft. above O.D. It is an interesting example of a mount and bailey castle, with attached 'burgess' or fortified village.

Detailed Description—The Keep Mount is 340 ft. in greatest diameter at the base, and 25 ft. above its ditch, and has a hollow summit defended by a breastwork 6½ ft. high with an entrance on the N.E., on which side the ditch is interrupted between the mount and the inner bailey. On the N.W. the ditch is 115 ft. wide with a counter-scarp 10 ft. high. The Inner Bailey is an enclosure of 3²/3 acres, containing the church. The defences on the N. are somewhat obliterated, but on the W. the ditch becomes deeper where it joins that of the mount, and receives a joint feeder. In a fairly well preserved section on the S. the ditch is 42 ft. wide, 4 ft. below the counter-scarp and 8½ ft. below the crest of the rampart, which is 3 ft. above the ground inside. Other Enclosures: S. of the mount and the inner bailey are two other enclosures, formerly defended by ditches which joined those of the mount and bailey; beyond these again are traces of a fourth enclosure, and the whole of the present village probably formed a defensive stronghold, for the name of Burge End appears at its northern limit. Entrances: not recoverable.

Dimensions—Greatest length through mount and inner bailey, W.S.W. to E.N.E., 800 ft.; of inner bailey on same line, 500 ft.; length of two baileys on S., 750 ft. Greatest width of mount at base, N.W. to S.E., 340 ft.; of inner bailey, N.W. to S.E., 400 ft.; of S. bailey, 150 ft.; of S.E. bailey, 150 ft. Area of mount and three adjacent baileys, 10 acres.

Condition—Of mount, good; of baileys, fairly good.

(3). The Grange, on the W. border of the parish, is a timber-framed farmhouse of two storeys, surrounded by a moat. The plan is now irregular, but an H-shaped structure can be traced; it faces E., and was built early in the 17th century; on the S. side is an L-shaped wing which may be part of a building of earlier date, but has been much altered; a length of wall on the E. front of this wing shows that the upper storey formerly projected. At the back is a modern addition.

Interior—In the kitchen in the N. wing is a large 17th-century fireplace reduced to hold a modern range, with chimney corners in a small cupboard on each side of it.

A small Bridgehouse with an upper chamber spans the moat; it is of timber and plaster, and has a gabled roof. An old Bakehouse, N.E. of the house, is also of timber. Both these buildings are probably of the same date as the house.

Condition—Of buildings, good; of moat, very good.

(4). The Rectory Farm and Moat, about 3 furlongs W.N.W. of the church. The house is a timber-framed building of early 17th-century date, much altered in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was completely faced with brick. The plan is of the L type, with a parlour in the wing running E. and W., and the kitchen offices and a porch in the second wing, which projects towards the S. from the E. end of the parlour wing. The entrance to the porch is on the S.; it leads to a lobby in the width of the chimney stack at the E. end of the parlour, between the wings. On the N. is a small projecting staircase wing. Only one old window, with moulded wooden mullions, remains. Near the house is a large barn (about 135 ft. by 37 ft.) constructed in bays with an elaborate framing of plain squared timbers on masonry foundations. This is possibly of an earlier date than the house.

The moat is fairly well preserved but the S. corner is obliterated. On the N.E. are traces of an outer moat.

Condition—Of house, good; much altered.

(5). High Down, Manor House, stands on the side of a wooded hill about ¾ mile S.S.W. of the church. It is of two storeys and a basement, and is built of plastered flint and clunch, with clunch dressings; the roofs are tiled. The plan is L-shaped with one very short wing; the two wings, with outbuildings and a garden wall, enclose a courtyard.

The whole building is of early 17th-century date, and is unusual in plan both for the period and the locality.

The main entrance is on the S. front, and the projecting porch opens into a passage, originally the 'screens', with the dining room, formerly the hall, on the E. and a servery on the W., which communicates with the staircase to the basement. This passage leads to a staircase hall lighted from the court, with the parlour on the E. and the library on the W.; the parlour fills the short arm of the L. Beyond the servery are some small rooms and a modern back staircase. The first floor is divided in a similar manner, but with extra partitions to form two rooms over one. The basement contains cellars on the S. and W., and at the foot of the staircase is a small entrance hall with an external door to the court; the kitchens and offices are under the parlour and dining room. The W. side of the court is formed by a row of low two-storeyed outbuildings; on the N. side are barns and a stable with an arched entrance. These buildings are partly of timber and partly of brick. The E. side is partly enclosed by the garden wall. The S. Elevation is plain; the porch is carried up to the full height of the house, and is gabled; the front doorway is square-headed, and moulded in stone with a label; above it are mullioned stone windows lighting the porch, first floor and attic; and also two stone panels carved with shields bearing the arms of Docwra and Periam impaled, the date 1599, and Docwra impaling Hales. Only one original stone window remains besides those in the porch, the rest have wood frames, probably inserted late in the 17th century. The E. Elevation is broken by a slight projection of the main wing and by the bay window of the parlour; both are gabled, and a third, smaller gable is set between them; all three have carved and pierced barge-boards. The windows of the dining room and parlour have moulded mullions and transoms in stone, and over them is a small moulded cornice; on the first floor and basement the windows are mullioned only, but have a moulded cornice. Over one of the parlour windows is a carved stone panel with a shield with Docwra impaling (probably) Horsey. The S. Elevation of the court has three gables; a bay window lights the library, and all the windows, as on the E. elevation, are transomed only on the ground floor. The W. Elevation is quite plain. The buildings forming the N. and W. sides of the court are of the plainest description with wood-framed windows, etc. The archway is four-centred, and of plastered brick; over it is a stone panel with the arms and names of Thomas Docwra and Jane Periam and the date 1613, which is probably the date of the house. Another stone panel at the E. end of this range has the date 1504 and the arms of Docwra with a chief, on which is a cross. The chimneys are all finished with brick, and the stack over the parlour has square flues set diagonally.

Interior—The door in the main entrance is original, and of heavy nail-studded oak. At each end of the 'screens' is a crudely designed arch with Tuscan columns, and some of the rooms have dados made of early 17th-century panelling. Most of the fireplaces were altered in the 19th century, but two original stone fire-places remain; one, in a bedroom over the drawing room, has a square moulded opening and moulded stops; the other, in a room over the library, is further enriched with a coarse echinus moulding. The ceiling of this room is plastered on the rafters and collars, and in the middle is a plain principal or truss with carved angle braces.

Condition—Good; the interior is defaced but the original arrangement has been little altered.

(6). Hammond's Farm, about 400 yds. N. by W. of the church, is a late 16th or early 17th-century building. It is of two storeys: the lower of brick, capped with a splayed brick course, the upper of timber with brick nogging; the roofs are tiled and the gables have plain verge-mouldings.

The building has been little altered, and is a good example of a farmhouse of the period.

The plan is of the L type, the parlour being in a wing running E. and W., with the fireplace at the E. end. In the angle between the two wings is a porch opening into a small lobby in the second wing, which projects to the S.E. and contains the kitchens and offices. A modern partition divides the kitchen into two rooms, and another partition, also modern, cuts off a corridor from the parlour on the W., giving access to a range of cellars with lofts over them, probably added late in the 17th century. The small projecting staircase wing is on the N. of the parlour wing. On the first floor are bed-rooms over the parlour and over the porch; a third, over the kitchen, is now divided into two rooms. The windows are all wood framed and mullioned, and have iron casements. The porch has a doorway with a semi-circular head of two orders, and on one side an unglazed opening filled with turned balusters. The kitchen chimney stack has three square flues set diagonally. Interior—The rooms on the first floor are lined with early 17th-century panelling, and have friezes of flat arabesque work. The room over the kitchen has a stone fireplace with a moulded four-centred head, and an oak mantelpiece with elaborately mitred panels and grotesque figures, etc., on each side.

Near the house is a large dovecote of plastered timber with a half-hipped tiled roof.

Condition—Good.

(7). The Old Hall, now an inn, stands at the S. end of the village. It is a two-storeyed building, part of a former manor house, and is dated 1609. The walls are of flint, with angles of thin bricks, and are covered with plaster; the roofs are tiled. The plan is rectangular, 46 ft. by 20 ft., facing W., and there appears to have been formerly a large central wing on the E.; on the W. front there is a massive projecting chimney stack of flint and thin bricks; the upper part has a moulded brick cornice, and the top is modern. The main entrance is of stone with splayed jambs: above it are two windows of two lights with stone mullions; the window immediately over the door is blocked: above the windows is a panel with the arms and quarterings of Thomas Docwra, the date 1609, and the motto 'En dieu est tout.' The N. and S. ends are gabled, and have mullioned three-light stone windows on the upper floor. On the E. face the flint walls return about 6 ft. at each end; the space between, about 34 ft., is filled in by the old timber-framed wall or partition which divided this part of the building from the former E. wing. Interior—There is some wood panelling, and a fireplace of the 18th century in the tap room at the N. end.

Condition—Fairly good; the plaster is falling off in places.