MEM22304 - Stables east of White Rock Cottage, Simonsbath (Building)

A possible former stable block, mostly constructed of stone rubble but including dressed stone, possibly originally meant for a more prestigious building. A projecting clay-bonded plinth suggests the building sits on the footprint of an earlier structure, possibly with a different function. The stables are mentioned in the estate inventory of 1833 and they are again mentioned in 1899, when their location is confirmed; architectural features may suggest the building was converted to this function and it was originally as a secure lockup, perhaps associated with the quarries nearby. The building has an unusual 19th Century asymmetric roof structure, with a shorter pitch to the west. The northern half of the building was converted into toilets in the late 20th Century, with the southern half used as a research and study centre. [1] The report [1] was revised in 2015. In addition to the information above, it suggests that although the toilet block may have been converted from a former stables, the core of the building is similar in footprint to the original core of White Rock Cottage and may have been domestic in origin. It is mostly constructed of stone rubble but includes dressed stone, possibly originaly meant for a more prestigious building. It also sits on a projecting clay bonded plinths, perhaps associated with an earlier structure on the same footprint.