No 32
No.32
No 32 - previously nos.30-32 - Obviously an 'old' house with its distinctive double height bay windows with their characteristic quirky shape, possibly due to uneven settlement over time. The 'listed buildings' notes for this building states that it is of Medieval origin.
It seems that it was an original, cruck construction 'hall' house, which was the norm in the 1400s and early 1500s. These 'hall' houses had a large main hall room, open to the roof with a fire but no chimney, so the smoke drifted up and filtered up through the thatched roof, as it would have been then. These lasted like this until the introduction of coal as a burning material, which produced unpleasant smoke, so chimneys were then inserted to take the smoke to the roof. Only later still did they have chimney stacks above the roof line. After the chimneys were added, later upper floors were installed with ceilings to the ground floor.
Anything built in Stowey before around 1600 would be unlikely to have had glass in the windows, so the distinctive two storey bay windows with glazed timber casements and leaded lights would be latter additions, after the upper floors were installed. Previously the 'windows' would have been simple small openings with divisions and possibly internal timber shutters or animal skin curtains.
The
bay window form, rather than simple casements, allowed more light in
and also gave the ability to see both ways up and down the street
from the side casements. Remember that at that time there was
nothing in the location of the present no.36, so an uninterrupted
view up towards Castle hill would have been seen.
Recent, careful and sympathetic renovation has returned the bay
windows to probably better condition than they have ever been!
The house became two separate houses when the left section was
divided off, possibly when the left chimney was built, or maybe
later? Now it is back as just one house (Nos.30 and 32).
Photos from 1963
(left) and
current (right)
Photos from 1960s show this left section (No.30) had fewer windows
and a different door location from the current fenestration (shame
about the door style choice!). I assume these changes took place
when the two houses reverted to one. Also the 1960s photo shows the
roof to be somewhat rickety, perhaps this was also renewed at that
time?
Photos from 1915 (left)
and1963
(right)
There was a serious fire in the 1980s which destroyed most of the
roof to the whole house, including the adjoining no.34, so the
current roof is really quite modern.
Photo from 1980s
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