Listed Building: WOOLHANGER MANOR WITH MUSIC ROOM (1201136)

LYNTON AND LYNMOUTH SS64NE LYNTON 858-1/1/2 Woolhanger Manor with Music Room 28/11/89 - GV II Large free-standing house with attached music room. The house mainly of mid to late C19 with earlier origins; linked to music room of 1894 by corridor/wing, probably also of that date. Rendered rubble, slate roofs. The house has a near-symmetrical plan, with gables to the SE, facing the moors, and recessed centre to the former main entrance; this has attached on the NE front the later hall/gallery, with a new principal entrance, which returns at an obtuse angle through an ante-room to the very large elongated octagonal music room with steep pyramidal roof carrying a prominent square lantern with lower hipped ends inflected to the octagon. The house range, in 2 storeys, has various casements set in plain reveals, but including, on the garden, or entrance front, a 3-light Gothick casement with interlaced pointed heads in deep-set reveals to segmental pointed heads each side of the central recessed bay which has a glazed conservatory with lean-to slate roof. The right gable to this original range has an external gable stack. The later entrance range is on one floor, with low-pitched slate roof to decorative clay ridges, with 4 large casements in 3 lights with transom, the transom lights having geometrical bar glazing, replaced 1993. Centred to these is a fine ashlar doorway in C16 Renaissance style, with pilasters and scrolls, a large projecting keystone over the arched doorway, and shaped pediment with central shell motif, under a ball finial; to right and left are heraldic figures. The panelled doors are under a fanlight with glazing-bars to near-square panes in tinted glass; a moulded architrave rises on pilasters with channelled capitals. Above the doorway, set back on the roof-slope, is a prominent gabled dormer forming a flat canted bow; the ridge is higher than that of the entrance wing, and the roof continues back over the house range. A gabled link, at an angle, connects to the music room, which is in Free Tudor style and has 4 large 4-light windows with stone ovolo-mould members. Each has 2 transoms and flat 4-centred heads to the lights at the upper 2 levels. They are set flush in the walls, and are unglazed (the decorative glass said to have been removed). Above the windows is a simple mould beneath a deep frieze band. On the NW side is a plain rectangular external stack; the corresponding stack on the opposite side has been cut back to eaves level. To the right (NE) is a projecting bay, formerly containing the organ. The roof, with swept eaves, is in slate incorporating 2 bands of darker colour, and the lantern, with pyramidal roof, has small-scale square-pane wooden glazing. INTERIOR: has much late C19 detailing of high quality, including the pine staircase. The later entrance range is in 2 parts, with a compartmental ceiling, including stone corbels, and an arched screen with 2 bold columns, to the left. The music room has plastered walls, with a dado rail. To each side is a very large stone hooded fireplace over a 4-centred moulded opening. The heavy projecting mantel is carried on corbels, and richly embellished, and on the upper part of the hood is the Carew coat of arms, with the motto NIL CONSCRIRE TIBI. The timber floor is being restored, and the windows are without glass, except to the lantern, where the tinted panes have been carefully restored. The roof is carried on elaborately braced and intersecting flying timber trusses, with curved braces in rectangular panels, and carried down to carved corbels in the corners of the octagon. At the entrance end a concrete block temporary partition has been inserted, and opposite is the plain opening to the former organ gallery, slightly raised from the main floor level. A remarkable enterprise, the form and detail of this music room make it a survival of considerable interest, encountered unexpectedly on the edge of the open moors. At the time of inspection the music room was in course of slow restoration. Listing NGR: SS6984345313