10. BOARSTALL
(O.S. 6 in. (a)xxvi. N.E. (b)S.E.)
Ecclesiastical
b(1). Parish Church of St. James, in the
middle of the village, was re-built in 1818 on
the site of the original church. It contains
from the former building the following
Fittings—Brasses and Indents: see Monuments. Communion Table: in the W. vestry,
with turned legs, lower rails plain, upper rail
with flat carved ornament and date 1615.
Monument: on S. side of chancel, altar tomb,
with three traceried panels in front, containing
brass shields, without arms, slab at the top, of
Purbeck marble, with indents of two shields
and part of indent of inscription, late 15th-century. Panelling: at E. end of nave, on each
side, some panelling, with dentil moulded top
rail, 17th-century. Plate: includes large silver
gilt cup with two repoussé panels representing
the Annunciation and the Nativity, base repoussé with four faces in band of strapwork
ornament, and roses, etc., English hall-mark,
date letter illegible, inscription under foot,
'This cupe and cover wayeth 28 oz. 3 dwt.':
plain silver gilt stand paten of 1615. Pulpit:
square, with chamfered corners, each side with
arched panels over lower moulded panels,
panelled frieze and dentil cornice, modern
moulding at the top, sounding-board with ogee
dome, late 17th-century. Miscellanea: Churchyard cross, octagonal base, with broach stops,
and part of octagonal shaft, 15th-century, the
upper part and cross modern. Headstone: to
Mary Grainges, 1676.
Condition—Good, generally; the communion
cup and paten are slightly damaged.
Secular
b(2). Homestead Moat, S.E. of the church,
wide, and well preserved.
a(3). Homestead Moat, at New Park Farm,
fragment.
b(4). Gatehouse and Moat, 100 yards N. of
the church. The Gatehouse was formerly part
of Boarstall House, the other buildings having
been pulled down towards the end of the 18th
century; it is of three storeys, built of stone in
the 14th century; some of the windows and the
doorways of the S. and W. turrets were inserted
in the 16th century; other alterations were made
in the 17th century, and the bridge over the
moat was built in 1735. The roofs are covered
with lead.
The gatehouse, with its cross loops and the
grooves for a portcullis, is of especial interest
as the only remaining example of a mediæval
fortified building in the S. half of the county.
The plan is rectangular, with a hexagonal
tower at each corner; those at the S. and W.
corners contain winding stone stairs. The
ground floor consists of a wide central passage
with a room on each side, the first floor is divided
into three rooms, and on the second floor there
are no divisions: the N. and E. towers have a
small room on each floor. The N.E. Elevation
has, in the middle, a 14th-century doorway,
with plain chamfered jambs, partly restored,
and a segmental arch of three chamfered orders;
inside the jambs are the grooves for the portcullis; the large double doors are of the 17th
century, with moulded framing, of different
detail in each door; the battens at the back are
modern; in one door is a small wicket gate:
over the doorway is a small window; the sill has
grooves worn in it, probably by the chains
attached to the drawbridge. Towards the end
of the 17th century a wide semi-circular arch
was added some feet above the doorway; it rests
on projecting buttresses with moulded abaci,
and supports a bay window above it; the arch
has a beaded edge, and the soffit of the keystone
is ornamented: the bay window has three lights
in front and one on each side, with moulded
jambs and heads; it is probably a copy of a
former window, but may retain some original
work; the casements have elaborate 17th-century fasteners of pierced iron. On each side
of the doorway, on the ground floor, is a
16th-century window of two lights, with
moulded jambs, mullions and head; above each
window a moulded string-course is carried
across the wall from the doorway to the turret
at the corner; the two windows on the first floor
are each of one light, similar to those below:
the wall at the top is set back, and has a carved
and moulded cornice, and a parapet with a
stone balustrade, all of the 17th century. The
N. and E. hexagonal towers are carried above
the roof and have embattled parapets, in which
are the remains of original cross loops. The
N. tower has, on the ground floor, a window of
one light, and on each of the upper floors a
window of two lights, all with moulded jambs
and square heads, inserted in the 16th century, and facing S.E.; the other sides have,
on the first and second floors, 14th-century
cross loops, now blocked. The E. tower has
a small plain window on the ground floor, and
on each of the upper floors a window of two
lights with moulded jambs and mullions, inserted in the 16th century; on the second floor,
on four sides, are original cross loops, of which
three are blocked. All the loop-holes have wide
inner splays and chamfered rear arches; each
tower has, below the parapet, a 14th-century
carved gargoyle, much damaged. The S.W.
Elevation has a central entrance, with a segmental arch similar to that on the N.E.; on
each side of the entrance is a small 16th-century window, with moulded jambs and square
head; on the first floor are three windows, also
of the 16th century, each of two lights with
moulded jambs, square head and label; on the
second floor are two similar windows, higher
than the others, each of two lights with a transom. The plain parapet is original; near the
centre are two 17th-century octagonal chimney
shafts, of stone, with broach stops to the bases,
and moulded caps. The S. and W. hexagonal
towers have embattled parapets and are carried
higher above the roof than those on the
N. and E. In the S.W. face of each
tower, on the ground floor, is a 16th-century doorway, with chamfered jambs,
four-centred head, and moulded square label;
part of the label in the S. tower is broken
away. The walls are pierced at intervals
by small loop lights, the highest light in the S.
tower having a trefoiled head, and below the
parapet is a grotesque winged gargoyle, in
fairly good preservation. In each face of the
highest stage of the W. tower is a plain rectangular opening with louvres; below the S.W.
opening is a clock. The N.W. and S.E. Elevations are alike, and each has, between the
towers, a splayed oriel window carried up from
the first floor to the parapet; it rests on moulded
corbelling, and is finished with a balustrade
similar to that on the N.E. front; on each floor
there are four lights, those on the second floor
being transomed.
Interior:—On the ground floor the ceiling of
the central passage has old flat joists; the room
on the N.W. side has a wide fireplace with
beaded jambs and depressed head, partly
original; the doors opening into the N. and W.
towers are old. The room on the S.E. side has
large exposed ceiling-joists, somewhat decayed,
and a small stone fireplace, of the 16th century, with beaded jambs and a depressed head;
the inner jambs and soffit of the small window
in the E. tower are covered with 17th-century
oak panelling. On the first floor are several
original chamfered stone doorways with two-centred heads, and some old battened doors
with strap-hinges. On the second floor all the
four doorways opening into the towers are
original, with chamfered jambs and two-centred heads; three of the doorways are of
stone, the fourth, opening into the S. tower, is
of oak, in two pieces, with a chamfered four-centred rear arch of stone; in the S.W. wall is
a large open fireplace of the 16th century, with
moulded stone jambs and four-centred arch in
a square head with sunk spandrels: the flat
pitched ceiling is of five bays, with massive
cambered beams and rough joists, partly restored. In the bay window on the N.E. front
is a considerable quantity of 17th-century
glass; in the central light is a shield with the
arms of Ap Gwyllym; in the E. light, a
shield with arms of Aubrey quartering Mansel,
Basset and South, and the motto 'Solem fero'
at the bottom: in each side light is a pane
with arms of Aubrey impaling Lewis,
mantled helm and crest, the motto 'Solem
fero' and date 1692. In the window of the
E. tower is a shield in a wreath, with the arms
of Basset quartering de la Bere, and another
shield in a wreath, with eight quarters. In
the S. tower the staircase, which goes up to
the roof, is of stone, finished at the top with an
oak newel and rail. In the W. tower the staircase to the second floor is encased in wood. The
clock at the top is disused; over it is a bell
inscribed 'Richard Keene made me, 1661'.
The S. boundary wall between the grounds
and the churchyard is of 17th-century brick,
and has a contemporary stone doorway with
moulded jambs, semi-circular arch, architrave and segmental pediment; the door is
original, and elaborately panelled: S.W. of
the gatehouse are the remains of a stone tunnel
which apparently led from the cellars of the
former house to the moat.
The Moat, enclosing the gatehouse and the
site of the former buildings, is about 60 ft.
wide and has a strong inner rampart.
Condition—Of gatehouse, good; of moat,
fairly good, except E. arm, which is obliterated.
b(5). Tower Farm, 140 yards N. of the
church, is a house of two storeys and an attic,
built of brick with stone dressings in the second
half of the 16th century. The roofs are tiled.
The plan was probably originally E-shaped,
with the wings projecting towards the N., but
the E. wing has been destroyed, a modern
addition built on the site, the space between
the central and W. wings filled in and the interior considerably altered; the W. wing, now
used as a stable and piggery, originally contained on the ground floor one large room with
N. and S. entrance doorways; the central wing
contains the stairs. The S. front is of original
brick with stone quoins at the S.W. angle;
there is a plain stone string-course between the
storeys, and a moulded stone string-course a
little below the eaves; the two doorways have
chamfered jambs and four-centred heads; two
windows on the ground floor and six windows
on the first floor are original, each of two lights
with moulded stone jambs, head and mullions
and external label with return stops; the two
other windows on the ground floor have no
mullions and have been widened by removing
the stone jambs, one jamb being re-used as a
lintel. The W. end is similar to the S. front,
and has two original windows on each floor.
At the N. end of the N.W. wing the lower
storey is faced with stone and the upper part is
of brick with stone quoins; the doorway is
original, of stone, and has chamfered jambs
and four-centred head. The lower storey of
the staircase wing is of stone, the upper part is
gabled and of brick. The lower part of one
chimney stack is original.
Interior:—Some of the rooms have large
stop-chamfered beams in the ceilings. On the
first floor four doors of moulded battens are
original. The plain newel staircase from the
ground floor to the attic is original. In the
attic over the W. end of the house is the top of
another newel staircase with a short balustrade,
having turned balusters, square newels and a
chamfered handrail; only a few of the top steps
remain. The stable in the N.W. wing has two
large turned wood posts supporting the ceiling-beams.
Condition—Good.
b(6–8). Cottages, three, at Holt's Farm, about
3/8 mile N.N.E. of the church, are of two storeys,
and form an L-shaped block. The walls have
been re-faced with 18th-century brick, but the
central chimney stack, with two square shafts,
is of 17th-century thin bricks. The roofs are
tiled.
Condition—Good.
b(9). Upper Panshill Farm, about 1¼ miles
W.N.W. of the church, is a red brick house of
two storeys and an attic; the roof is tiled. It
was built late in the 16th or early in the 17th
century, and consisted of a rectangular block
facing S., with a small wing in front and
another at the back; later in the 17th century
a N.W. wing was added, and a modern addition
has been built at the W. end. The wings and
E. end are gabled. The large central chimney
stack, with three square shafts, is original, and
another small chimney stack is of the 17th century. Some of the ceilings have old beams,
and in one room is a wide fireplace, partly
blocked.
Condition—Fairly good; the original bricks
are somewhat decayed and there is a crack in
the S. wall.
b(10). Pasture Farm, about 1 mile S.W. of
the church, is a small house of two storeys,
built of brick late in the 17th century. The
roof is tiled. The plan is cross-shaped, with a
modern addition built in the N. angle. The
central chimney stack is original. Some of the
ceilings have stop-chamfered beams.
Condition—Good.
b(11). Old Arngrove Farm, 1 mile W.S.W.
of the church, is a house of two storeys, built
of brick in the 17th century; a small addition
at the N.E. angle, built later in the 17th century, is of timber and brick; the building was
restored and again enlarged in the 19th century. The roofs are tiled. Two chimney
stacks are original. The W. wall of the cowshed at the S.E. end of the house is of 17th-century brick, and two large gate pillars S. of
the house are built of stone, said to have come
from Boarstall House.
Condition—Good.