MSO10680 - Doverhay House and Doverhay Lodge, Doverhay, Porlock (Building)

Probably a 17th Century pair of thatched cottages enlarged in the mid 19th Century to create a house with adjoining lodge. A 1690 date plaquewas likely added in around 1900. The house served as the headquarters of the Porlock Home Guard.

Probably 2 cottages, enlarged and refenestrated to form house with adjoining lodge. Probably some C17 work, mainly mid C19. Rendered over rubble, thatched roofs, hipped to west, painted brick stacks north and east gable ends and rising from eaves west. Plan: roughly L-plan on corner site, single storey lodge south end, probably 2 cell left of entrance on east front, long north front of probably 3 cells with gable end of north west range. North front: one and a half storeys, 2:1 bays, mainly trefoil headed lights with some leading, two gables left above trefoil headed lights with plate glass, corbelled sills, 2-light window right gable end with 2 thatched hooded 2-light windows below. Left return bevelled corner to gable end with 2 pointed arch niches containing single light windows, entrance beyond in recessed 2-storey bay with applied half timbering to gable end, door with 3-light window to left and date 1690 above. Long 4-bay, 2 storey block adjoining with 3 dormers and window set below gable end to right with applied half-timbering, single storey lodge with depressed timber arch doorway in curved wall abutting left; adjoining Doverhay Cottage (qv) to left. Interior not seen, similar in style to The Gable Hotel (qv) to north. The date of 1690 with 2 portrait medallions, presumably of William and Mary, over entrance, probably added circa 1900. [1] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 265460. First Listed on 02/01/1986. [2] L-plan. Stone, Render walls. Hipped, Gabled roof [3] Doverhay House and Lodge, forming an L-shape plan on a corner site were probably a 17th century pair of thatched cottages, also enlarged in the mid 19th century to consist of a house with adjoining lodge, and forming a similarly picturesque thatched group with The Gables. The 1690 date plaque over the entrance was probably added c. 1900. [4] The buildings were visited in April 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. They received a BAR score of 6. [5] Second World War headquarters of the Porlock Section of the Home Guard, known as the 'Exmoor Mounties', located at Doverhay House, which was the house of Colonel Alexander, the commanding officer. The house was built in 1690 and used as a farmhouse. [7] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [8]