Listed Building record MDO14452 - The Court House, Poyntington

A house built in the late fourteenth century, with a hall-block and cross-wings at the north and south ends. The building has walls of rubble and a slate roof. The north wing was rebuilt in the 17th century, and there is a later extension on the south wing.

Church Farm, or Court House as it is known, is a late 14th century building consisting of a hall-block with north and south cross wings, 2-storeys with rubble walls and slate roofs. The north wing was rebuilt in the 17th century and the south wing, which retains two original windows, was extended in the 18th century. (2-3)

The building now known locally as 'Court House' (name not displayed) remains as described, and in good condition; it is not of outstanding architectural merit. <4>

<1> DOE (HHR), 1950, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Sherborne Rural District 1950, 26 (Scheduling record). SDO17394.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 189 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(4) Court House or Church Farm, immediately W. of the church, is of two storeys; the walls are of rubble and the roofs are slate-covered. The house was built late in the 14th century with a hall-block and cross-wings at the N. and S. ends. The N. wing was rebuilt in the 17th century and there is an extension of the S. wing with the initials and date W.A. 1720. The S. wing retains three original buttresses at the E. end; the same end has two original loop lights to the ground floor and an original window above of two cusped lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head; it is now blocked. The main block has two windows in the E. wall both of two pointed lights with a quatrefoil or a cinquefoil above; these windows have probably been restored. The southern doorway has a high trefoiled rear-arch. Between the windows is a 14th-century head-corbel. Inside the building, the central block has heavy chamfered ceiling-beams.’

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1962 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 64991998) Church Farm (NAT)

<4> Barrett, G, Various, Field Investigators Comments GB, F1 GB 17-AUG-77 (Unpublished document). SDO17369.

<5> Department of the Environment, 1986, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Dorset (Parishes of Trent,Sandford Orcas,Over Compton,Nether Compton,Castleton,Oborne,Poyntington,Bradford Abbas,Clifton Maybank,Thornford,North Wootton, Haydon, Purse Caundle & Goathill) (Scheduling record). SDO16437.

<6> Cotton, J and Cox, P, 1996, Archaeological Investigations During Underpinning of The Court House, Poyntington, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO12322.

<7> English Heritage, 2006, Listed buildings data disk (Digital archive). SDO12545.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199494 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2022 11:15AM