More information : (ST 52600543) Corscombe Court on site of (NAT) Abbey Grange (NR) Moat (NR) Tithe Barn (NR). (1)
Corscombe Court consists of house, barn and moat. The late 13th century to early 14th century house is a rubble-walled two storey building with stone slate roofs. Formerly the grange of Sherborner Abbey, it now forms the north wing of the building and contains an original lancet window, now blocked. It was remodelled in the 17th century. It also has a modern addition to the north. The south cross wing is early 18th century with a stone mullioned three-light window. Grade 2.
The barn is 15th century with buttressed rubble walls and a S porch. Grade 2.
The moat which formerly surrounded the house is largely filled in on the S side. (2-3)
Court Farm and remains of (NAT) Abbey Grange (NR). (4)
Now known as Corscombe Court; it is an outstanding group. The moat encloses a level platform, 66.0m E to W by about 75 m N to S and 0.5 ha, up to about 0.4m above the surrounding ground. The original causeway is central to the S arm, which is partly filled to the E and dry to the W. The water-filled W, N and E arms are on average 8.0m wide and fed, by means of a short culvet in the SW angle, from the adjacent stream. The water level, on average 0.7 below platform, is controlled by two sluices on the N arm.
1:2500 surveyed revised on PFD. (5)
Barn at Corscombe Court, scheduled. It has been subdivided for farm purposes and repairs have been carried out, some sympathetically. (6)
(Description of the moated site as Auths 2 & 5). No surrounding earthworks or fishponds were apparent and the Tithe Map (1840) does not indicate their existence. But there is a possibility that they may have been destroyed by ploughing to the west of the site and by tennis courts and landscaping to the north. (7)
Farmhouse, former monastic grange (Sherborne Abbey). c C14 walls and porch of north range, with C17 re-modelling, and C18 south wing. Rubble-stone walls with stone quoins. Asbestos slate and slate roofs. Brick stack on north range, ridge. Stone stacks on gable-ends of south wing. Stone gable-copings with a small apex-finial. North range, west elevation: 2 storeys and attics. 4 windows, 2- and 3-light square stone mullions, c1700. Upper ones are recent C20 insertions. Doors: stone porch in angle of 2 ranges, pointed arch entrance with straight-chamfered jambs and head. Moulded label over. Jambs are rebated. Door, of 5 planks and studded. 3-light porch window over with square stone mullions. Doorway left of centre, with same jambs and a pointed-arch head. C20 door, multi-panelled. South range, south elevation, plinth and rubble walls with ashlar quoins. 2 storeys. 3 windows, 3-light, hollow-chamfered stone mullions. Separate labels. Re-set medieval head-corbel over centre window. North gable wall, with one small lancet, low down to left, straight-chamfered and with fixed lead lights. Left jamb incised with an S. Interior: north range has heavy sawn ceiling-beams with tongued stops and with 1780 incised on one. Open fireplace, C17, with stone jambs and a cambered straight-chamfered lintel with tongued stops. Bread oven in left brick wall. Flagstone floor in room behind porch. Roof: of King-post construction with diagonal struts to principals, C19. No earlier roof in north range.
Source: RCHM Dorset 1, p106 (4).
Tithe-Barn 40 metres north-west of Court Farmhouse
Barn of the former monastic Grange. C15. Rubble-stone walls with slate roofs. Stone gable-coping at east and with pyramidal stop. West coping does not survive. Large projecting porch, right of centre on south side. Porch has diagonal buttresses with a plinth and 2 set-offs. Entrance has straight chamfered jambs with a segmental head. 4 plank doors with strap-hinges. Pedestrian doorway in east wall of porch, has a 4-centred head and straight-chamfered jambs. Porch has a stone gable-coping and a crocketed finial. Interior: Roof-construction in 5 bays, arch-braced-collar beam on jointed raised crucks. 2 slip-tenons at the join. 2 sets of through-purlins with remnants of wind-bracing surviving. Arch-braces are slightly chamfered. Ridge and sub-rafters renewed. Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Source: RCHM Dorset I, p107 (4). (8)
The Corscombe Court group remains as described. North of the swimming pool and tennis court, a low bank aligned WSW - ENE is evident. This feature, 8m wide and 0.5 m high, extends on the east from the modern road for a distance of circa 42m. Eight metres beyond its west end there is a raised scarp aligned roughly north - south running into the arable north of the moat. This terraced
feature with an east facing slope is about 5m wide and 0.6m high. At its north end it turns to the east and is truncated by the modern road. It may have defined a formal garden feature or a large shallow pond. A more extensive and precise survey of the earthwork remains is intended.
Resurveyed at 1:1000, revised at 1:2500. (9) |