Details
SS 43 NE BRAUNTON SAUNTON
7/50 Saunton Court including garden
- structures to east incorporating
25.2.65 gateway, garden walls and
gatepiers, gazebo, grotto and
flight of steps
- II*
Manor house, C15, possibly earlier origins, remodelled and extended by Lutyens in
1932. Rubble stone bought to courses with stone dressings to the openings. Slate
roofs with gable ends, hipped to rear range with deep eaves. Ornamental guttering
with acorn finials to the brackets. Stone lateral hall stack with moulded cap to
rear now enclosed by 1932 additions, stacks to left and right side of cross-wings
respectively and rear gable end of right-hand cross-wing with tapering caps and
slated weatherings. Originally open-hall with 2-storey porch to through passage
with cross wings at each end with additional short right-angled projection from
right-hand cross-wing. The hall did have floor inserted at later stage but Lutyens
removed floor, remodelled the fenestration and added kitchen block and single-
storey range to rear parallel to main range to form an open courtyard to rear.
Single-storey hall with 2-storeyed cross-wings and porch. Hall has 3 window range
of C20 hornless wood sashes with cambered heads 6 over 6 panes. Gabled porch at
lower end of hall with horned sash 6 over 6 panes above round-arched porch with
inner arch supported on engaged columns, roll-moulded in post blocks and bases.
Cambered-arched inner doorway with rusticated surround and sculptured head keystone
over double-leaved door of 6 panels, the upper panels glazed. 2 sashes on each
floor to each cross-wing 6 over 6 pane, square-headed to upper storey with horns
with relieving arches to left hand cross-wing and cambered heads without horns to
ground floor. Right side of cross-wing has sash 6 over 6 panes over 12-paned
window and similar sash over double horizontal sliding sash window one ast face of
right-angled projection. The range to rear by Lutyens has 3 window range on
courtyard side flanking glazed door. Left side of left hand cross-wing has
horizontal sliding sashes double to left and single to right above doorway with
dressed stone relieving arch to left and 2 single horizontal sliding sashes to
right of double horizontal sliding sashes. Projecting portion of kitchen block
with steeply pitched roof to outshut at left end has triple horizontal sliding
sashes, 6 panes per sash to front and rear on each floor, that to ground floor
front with dressed stone relieving arch. Interior remodelled by Lutyens apart from
C17 stone bolection moulded fireplace to rear end of right side cross-wing. Also
much of the early roof structure intact. Over the hall, half the timbers
comprising the whole rear side have been replaced with the shallower pitch required
for Lutyens galleried additions. The lower cross-wing roof structure has also been
replaced. But 3 heavy principals and one whole truss at the juncture of the upper
cross-wing remain over hall. Original truss had yokes, diagonal set threaded ridge
purlins, 2 tiers of threaded purlins and archbraced collars. Collars now removed,
but substantial number of rafters, most of purlins and 2 yokes survive, all heavily
smoke-blackened as are original trusses. The cross-wing at upper end has almost
complete medieval roof structure with 3 trusses, 2 with short yokes and the third
with saddle, 3 tiers of purlins, the middle tier square-set with soffit mortices
for chamfered windbraces all intact on south side and 2 surviving to north side.
Chamfered arch-bracing to cranked collars morticed into soffits of principals. The
short right-angled projection from the upper cross-wing contains a single pair of
raised crucks with diagonally threaded ridge purlin and small yoke, a small
slightly cambered collar and 1 tier of threaded purlins. The Lutyens remodelling
involved repanelling of the principal rooms including master bedroom to rear of
lower cross-wing. Ground floor rom of upper cross-wing to rear also has alcoves
flanking panelled doors with swags above, and more elaborate frieze and eared
architecture to opposing frame in front room, which also has Adam fireplace with
fluted pilasters with rams head capitals, carved cherubs scene to central cartouche
and flanking festoons. Hall with walnut panelled doors at each end has large
painted ceiling medallion depicting "The Judgement of Paris" possibly by Cipriani
1740. Engaged classical-style pilasters but with bells in the capitals, 4 to each
side and 2 to each end. Bolection marbled chimneypiece to rear wall. Panelled
through-passage has alcove on left wall with goats head to head of niche in
garlanded surround. Panelled room to left of through-passage has terracotta mantel
with trophied cluster of rural implements flanking centre pastoral cartouche brought
from France by Robert Adam. Fine wooden open-well staircase to rear of cross-
passage with turned balusters, wreathed handrail ramped up to square fluted newels.
Fireplaces to principal bedrooms, at front of each cross-wing, that at lower end has
bolection moulded surround with ducks-nest style grate in cast iron with radiating
ribbed surround.
Structures in landscaped garden by Lutyens including stone wall enclosing garden on
three sides to east front of house incorporating outbuildings and gateway porch with
slated roofs to south side with wooden gate ledged to form 3 panels with short
turned bars interlocking to middle panel. Clock tower/gazebo at south east corner
of ashlar blocks with pyramidal slate roof. 2-storeyed, built into bank with round
archway over wrought-iron gates on south face and convex steps leading to cambered
arched doorway to upper storey on west side. 2-light window 8 panes per light with
keystone and voussoirs sto cambered arch over round archway with keystone on east
side, reused rainwater head to left dated 1674. Central gatepiers to front garden
wall with pyramidal caps and ball finials and wooden gates with turned bars.
Grotto in front with deep niche and goats head gargoyle and plaque above. Steps in
higher garden wall to north side half convex to lower flight, upper flight half
concave.
Listing NGR: SS4568737908
