Manor Farmhouse, South Wraxall, Wiltshire, BA15 (Grade I)

ST 86 NW SOUTH WRAXALL –

2/172 Manor Farmhouse

13-11-62

GV I

Reputedly a Benedictine hospice to St Audoen, now farmhouse. C14, altered C17 and late C20. Random rubble stone, stone slate roof with coped verges and saddle stones. T-plan, 4-bay hall to west of cross wing. Two-storey, 2-window east front has C20 door with 3- light ovolo-mullioned casement to left and 3-light C20 mullioned casement to right. First floor has blocked single light to left and two 3-light ovolo-mullioned casements to right. Right return has blocked openings and traces of removed wing. Left return has 3-light cyma-mullioned casement to ground and first floors, inserted into casement, partially blocked pointed C14 windows with hoodmould with scroll terminals, two bands of cusped trefoils or quatrefoils over, possibly reset tracery. Hall range to left has 4-panelled door in partly blocked painted window, hoodmould with mask terminals, buttress and planked door to left, C20 inserted mullioned casements. Left return of hall range has C20 buttresses and single casement, rear has C20 mullioned casements, one buttress, single-storey extension with C20 added first floor. Interior: altered C20, but hall range retains three arch-braced collar trusses with curved wind bracing to lower tier of purlins, chamfered soffits and heavy scantling; all smoke-blackened, principal centre truss said to be an upper cruck. East wall of hall has damaged remains of a tripartite arcade of cinquefoil cusped pointed arches on slender shafts with moulded capitals, triangular aedicules, heads of arches are above first floor level (now removed). It has been suggested that this may represent the reredos of a chapel altar, but it is more likely to be a reredos to the dais at upper end of hall. Solar altered and roof no longer visible, but said to have arch-braced collar rafter roof with collar purlin on three crown posts on tie-beams, chamfered soffits. Pointed window to gable end of solar and over door to hall both have cusped rere arches with triangular heads. Although this is reputedly a Benedictine hospice with chapel, no firm evidence exists for this and the building may represent the remains of a C14 manor house, replaced in C15 by the present Manor House (q.v.); no trace of the service end of the building survives and it is possible that they were in a separate building. (VCH, Wiltshire, Vol 7, 1953; WAM, Vol XIV)