Historic Vacation Home
Questionnaire
Year erected: 1366
What is the history of the property?
The Oval is one of the earliest houses built in Dunster. The house was originally a hall house, one large room with a fire central to it. Everyone who lived in the house shared one or two rooms, including the animals if the weather was especially harsh.
The fireplace is likely to have been on the street side, rather than where it is now, like the orange and black ‘cobb’ cottage you see further down the street. At this time - around 1320-40s - the other houses in the street would have been The Stag pub (which also had a wooden screen until a hundred or so years ago) and Spears Cross, the B and B further up West Street going towards the castle. The rest of this part of West Street probably had temporary houses of wattle and daub filling in the gaps. Some of the other smaller cottages between here and Spears Cross would have been built after the Black Death of 1348.
The wood panelling in the hallway is extremely old – you can see marks throughout where the carpenters have worked it by hand. It’s likely the screen in the hallway was added around 1450 -1500 to enclose the hall house, giving a mezzanine level where the main bedroom is now. It is unusual for this to remain as they were mostly pulled down in the Victorian era as walls were added.
The cruck beams in the main bedroom are of historical importance for this area of West Somerset. They are made from one large piece of wood and, unusually, they retain their original wooden pegs and holes. The craftsmanship and size of the beams suggest the person who built The Oval would have been wealthy. The beams came from the local area and are of historical significance, hence the Grade II listing.
What was the era and/or the architectural style in which the property was built?
The basic structure of the house is cob, which is a wooden frame filled with rubble, stones and held together with lime plaster. This is the 1366 building - slap bang in the middle of the medieval period.
During the Tudor period, the wooden screen was added and probably the fireplace was moved to the wall (rather than the middle of the downstairs) and a staircase was added.
In 1810 there was a fire that devastated the cottage, and changes were made as a result.
In the Victorian era we think the twin bedroom was added. And at some point in the 1960 or 70s, an extension was added at the back to create a larger kitchen and the dining room.
Is the property surrounded by other historic buildings?
Dunster is the largest remaining intact medieval village in England. Almost all the properties on West Street, Church Street and the High Street are listed to protect their unique architecture. But there are also Georgian an Victorian buildings dotted around the main street and in the back streets too.
Has restoration work taken place?
The present owner has made very few changes, all in line with the permitted development based on the Grade II listing. She has added secondary double glazing and added a sun deck at the top of the garden on the hill.
Are there any elements of particular historical importance at the building?
The wooden screen in the main hallway, the cruck beam in the main bedroom, the wooden window and door frame to the utility room, the wooden door frames in the 'Snug' room and at the top of the stairs.
Has the property received any certifications for its historical status?
Grade II listed. Channel 4's Time Team has dendrodated the property to 1366. The photos are from that visit.
Historical England are in the process of the same dating.
Is there anything that you would like to highlight, add or clarify?
The ceilings in the lower half of the property are low as you would expect. It is a deceptively large house, and the historical features sit happily side by side with the modern day comforts.
