Details
LYNTON AND LYNMOUTH
SS64NE LYNTON
858-1/1/2 Woolhanger Manor with Music Room
28/11/89
II
Large free-standing house with attached music room. The house
mainly of mid to late C19 with earlier origins; linked to
music room of 1894 by corridor/wing, probably also of that
date. Rendered rubble, slate roofs. The house has a
near-symmetrical plan, with gables to the SE, facing the
moors, and recessed centre to the former main entrance; this
has attached on the NE front the later hall/gallery, with a
new principal entrance, which returns at an obtuse angle
through an ante-room to the very large elongated octagonal
music room with steep pyramidal roof carrying a prominent
square lantern with lower hipped ends inflected to the
octagon.
The house range, in 2 storeys, has various casements set in
plain reveals, but including, on the garden, or entrance
front, a 3-light Gothick casement with interlaced pointed
heads in deep-set reveals to segmental pointed heads each side
of the central recessed bay which has a glazed conservatory
with lean-to slate roof. The right gable to this original
range has an external gable stack.
The later entrance range is on one floor, with low-pitched
slate roof to decorative clay ridges, with 4 large casements
in 3 lights with transom, the transom lights having
geometrical bar glazing, replaced 1993. Centred to these is a
fine ashlar doorway in C16 Renaissance style, with pilasters
and scrolls, a large projecting keystone over the arched
doorway, and shaped pediment with central shell motif, under a
ball finial; to right and left are heraldic figures. The
panelled doors are under a fanlight with glazing-bars to
near-square panes in tinted glass; a moulded architrave rises
on pilasters with channelled capitals. Above the doorway, set
back on the roof-slope, is a prominent gabled dormer forming a
flat canted bow; the ridge is higher than that of the entrance
wing, and the roof continues back over the house range.
A gabled link, at an angle, connects to the music room, which
is in Free Tudor style and has 4 large 4-light windows with
stone ovolo-mould members. Each has 2 transoms and flat
4-centred heads to the lights at the upper 2 levels. They are
set flush in the walls, and are unglazed (the decorative glass
said to have been removed). Above the windows is a simple
mould beneath a deep frieze band.
On the NW side is a plain rectangular external stack; the
corresponding stack on the opposite side has been cut back to
eaves level. To the right (NE) is a projecting bay, formerly
containing the organ. The roof, with swept eaves, is in slate
incorporating 2 bands of darker colour, and the lantern, with
pyramidal roof, has small-scale square-pane wooden glazing.
INTERIOR: has much late C19 detailing of high quality,
including the pine staircase. The later entrance range is in 2
parts, with a compartmental ceiling, including stone corbels,
and an arched screen with 2 bold columns, to the left. The
music room has plastered walls, with a dado rail. To each side
is a very large stone hooded fireplace over a 4-centred
moulded opening. The heavy projecting mantel is carried on
corbels, and richly embellished, and on the upper part of the
hood is the Carew coat of arms, with the motto NIL CONSCRIRE
TIBI. The timber floor is being restored, and the windows are
without glass, except to the lantern, where the tinted panes
have been carefully restored.
The roof is carried on elaborately braced and intersecting
flying timber trusses, with curved braces in rectangular
panels, and carried down to carved corbels in the corners of
the octagon. At the entrance end a concrete block temporary
partition has been inserted, and opposite is the plain opening
to the former organ gallery, slightly raised from the main
floor level.
A remarkable enterprise, the form and detail of this music
room make it a survival of considerable interest, encountered
unexpectedly on the edge of the open moors. At the time of
inspection the music room was in course of slow restoration.
Listing NGR: SS6984445303
