Margells

16th-century architecture wonderfully preserved

Originally a hall-house, the frame is a very early construction with the core of the building probably dating to the 15th century. Its fine coffered ceilings are typical of the period it was built in and whilst there is a similar example at the Landmark - No. 2 Hawker's Cottage, the one here is superior. Since the 16th century there have been little alterations, as such it serves as a fantastic example of its contemporary architecture. The restoration process sought to retain its integrity and changed as little as possible. In fact, much of the restorative work found older features that had been covered up down the years: we discovered a wall painting in the bedroom above the siting room and uncovered oak panels laid between the beams on the first floor.  

Beautiful South Devon coastline

Sleeping up to 5 people, visitors can unwind from exploring the south Devon coast in front of the open fireplace or enjoy the pleasant rural surroundings. The Branscombe Vale Brewery offers a great selection of real ales and cider whilst the nearby Norman Church of St Winifred supposedly dates back to 995. Those with a slightly less nervous disposition may wish to visit the annual Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels festival in October every year but be warned it's not for the faint-hearted.

About a hundred years later the present first floor was put in, making two big bedrooms. The fine coffered ceilings are typical of this period and there is a similar, though not such a good one in another Landmark - No. 2 Hawker’s Cottages at Coombe. The spiral stair would have been added at this time. It is made of solid blocks of chestnut, except for the top two treads which are oak, as is all the rest of the wood used in the house. At about this time the two fireplaces were added, with the chimneys built on to the outside of the house.

The quality of such a small cottage has led some people to suggest that Margells was the cross-wing of a larger house. The doorway, which is clearly visible in the wall of the bedroom above the kitchen certainly suggests this. The door from the kitchen into the bathroom was at one time bigger than it is now and that it was an important door is shown by the decoration in red-ish paint that can still be seen on the beam. The village of Branscombe contains a remarkable number of good houses of 16th and 17th century date and as the church records show, it housed a number of minor gentry. Margells almost certainly belonged to one of these families.

Since the 16th century Margells has been altered very little. It looks as though at one time the wall onto the road had to be rebuilt. This would explain why the timber frame at that end is different from the rest; it does not come down to the first floor and the wall painting has disappeared from that end of the bedroom. It was probably when this was being done that the big fireplace in the sitting room was made deeper.

There were a few superficial additions and alterations. Outside a small porch was added and a galvanised iron lavatory. Inside, a staircase was put into what is now the kitchen. In the sitting room the big fireplace was partially bricked up and ceilings were put into the bedrooms. They have now been taken out, but you can see indentations where the rafters were laid on top of the partition between the middle bedroom and the passage. The old floors on the first floor were boarded over in softwood and the east window in the bedroom above the kitchen was blocked up.

As ever, Landmark aimed to keep alterations to the minimum. Our architect, Paul Hearn, quickly arranged for a temporary cover for the roof, before it was re-thatched by Mr Turbitt of Sidmouth using imported Austrian reed as there was no local reed available at the time. A major part of the work was concerned with masonry repairs, including stabilisation of the walls by underpinning. The timber screens and the roof trusses were repaired and as all the old door openings were still in the screens, it was possible to re-make the doors to the old shape. The fireplaces were opened up and the external porch and lavatory removed. Rising damp was treated by inserting an electro-osmotic damp-proof course. The window in the east elevation was re-instated.

The existing ground floor was of lime-ash construction and in poor condition. Despite extensive research by the architect it was found to be impractical to repair and so a local stone, Blue Lias, was used as paving slabs, retaining the lime-ash finish as an edging. On the first floor, the floors beneath the new boarding were found to be oak, laid in panels between the beams - typical of good quality 16th century work.

During the restoration, a wall painting was uncovered in the bedroom above the sitting room. It had been painted in a lime and skimmed milk medium with dry colour directly onto the lime and sand plaster of the wall. Over the centuries, this had been covered with a number of layers of lime wash and wallpaper. The painting is typical of the late 16th century and consists of a foliated pattern in several colours, with a chevron patterned border and frieze. The restoration and stabilisation of the painting was carefully carried out by Mrs. Krystana Barakan.

The contractor for the works was J. Trivett & Co. Ltd of Cownhayne, Cloyton. The work was completed in the autumn of 1976 and Margells opened as a Landmark in November the same year.