A survey of Chitterne document from the Methuen Collection ref. WSRO1742/1441 mentions a new building at the same time as Charles Morris took over the lease after his brother Joseph Brown Morris died in 1815. So it seems that either Joseph or Charles had the round end built. Local legend has it that it was built to resemble a ship by a seafaring man, and Charles Morris was such a man. It is interesting to note that one of the dictionary definitions of "roundhouse" is: "a cabin on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship." (Collins English Dictionary)

The House Expert

An expert on historical houses, Dorothy Treasure, surveyed the house in May 2000. She studied the beams and joints used in the construction of the round end roof and found the timber was machine cut and the joints nailed, which led her to the conclusion that the roof is of a later date than 1815. It is possible that it dates from 1882, the date scratched into the plaster partly covering the chimney breast in the round loft.

Originally Three Storeys High?

The plaster itself had been partially removed from the chimney breast and a new brick chimney stack built. Given that the wide elm floorboards in the loft date from 1815, it would seem that the round end was originally three storeys high, but lowered to two storeys in 1882 after the death of Charles Morris.

To further support this theory:

(i) In the northernmost corner of the loft were found the remains of a top stair and a newel post.
(ii) Rev. JT Canner (Vicar of Chitterne 1904-25) calls the house "Tower House" in his Visiting Book.

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