Overton House

Cadw's description

Location

About 80m W of green in hamlet of Overton, above Port Eynon.

History

The name suggests Overton House is the nucleus of the hamlet. In 1783 the house was occupied by a tenant of Morgan Beynon. In 1844 the house is recorded as the homestead of George Gibbs, with 50 acres (20.25 hectares), under the Penrice estate. The left (north west) end was a single-unit end-access house of perhaps early C17; the rear wall of this part contains a recess interpreted as a bed recess and another interpreted as a staircase recess, the rear of the latter being slightly curved. This older part contains a wooden settle at right-angles to the hearth (an increasingly rare survival) and a charnel box above, the latter a very rare survival of an important feature culturally linking Gower with Devon; it is a recess extending into the upper storey for hanging bacon and ham for curing. The settle and charnel perhaps date from the C18 when the house was enlarged or rebuilt to the right, the new part containing a central entrance and stairs in the ususual layout, with a parlour to the right. Later a bakehouse was added to the right end, under a slightly lower roof, and a dairy centrally at the rear. There is a barn in tandem to the left. When inspected the house was undergoing renovation, under proposals including replacement of the corrugated sheeting with slates.

Exterior

House of 2 storeys, 3 windows, with additions to each end. Local rubble, rendered. The roof when inspected was covered with corrugated sheeting (originally thatch, to protect which there is a slight upstand in the gable masonry). The house has a mid-chimney and a right end-chimney; further chimney to bakehouse at right. First floor has broad 3-light casement windows to ends, smaller casement window to centre, all set at eaves. Shallow gabled stone porch to centre with side seats, boarded entrance door; broad 3-light casement window to each side. Left end has attached 2-bay barn; right end has attached bakehouse, front doorway, window to rear. To rear, at right angles late C18/early C19 dairy block, with boarded door. Recess between this and bed outshut of house filled by later wall to pantry. The house stands in a small croft with a vegetable patch at front, rubble-walled around; wall to front with iron gate to path leading to house. Another rubble wall encloses the rear of the croft, with gate and stile.

Interior

Central stair passage with wooden stairs. To left, the hall has transverse joists, some chamfered; fireplace with simple chamfered bressummer; above, charnel box with smaller longitudinal joists has window to landing above; bench to left of fireplace. Bed outshut to north corner with window in north east wall. To right of the hallway is the parlour with transverse chamfered joists; cupboards with fielded panelling each side of a modern fireplace. Kitchen (former dairy) to rear. At first floor level, the stair divides at a small landing; upper part of charnel box to the left. Rooms divided by boarded partitioning; roof timbers probably late C19, underside of roof boarded. Interior of bakehouse with boilers and brick oven.

Reason for designation

Listed despite alterations for its special characteristic Gower features, especially the extremely rare surviving charnel box.