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Summary

A farmhouse with 15th or 16th century origins and attached mid-19th century barn. Both the house and barn illustrate clear evidence of initial development followed by large-scale rebuilding and remodelling. The walls are of slatestone rubble construction with some granite quoins and carry a replacement pitched asbestos slate roof supported by 20th century trusses. Only part of the original plan-form survives and includes a cross-passage and one room at ground floor. The house stands two storeys high and there are three, rubble-built ridge chimney stacks; one at either end of the building and the third to the south of the centre. A dressed granite round-headed door in the western wall marks the position of the original front door. There are nine pigeon nesting boxes arranged in three groups, just below the eaves on the eastern elevation. A small number of architectural fragments built into the walls provide evidence of reconstruction and re-ordering. The barn attached to the southern end of the house is single story with an attic space. The walls are mainly of random slatestone with some granite, including at least one large boulder. The roof is now hipped at the southern end, but may have originally been gabled with a central door providing access to the loft space. These buildings were assessed for listing in 2010 but failed to meet the required criteria.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SW98
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1528778

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BARN (Built, XIX to Late 20th Century - 1844 AD to 2000 AD (Post))
• FARMHOUSE (First mentioned, Late 20th Century - 1980 AD to 1989 AD (Pre))

Full description

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 26/04/2021, Case no. 170032 (Website). SDV364039.

Bythedown has been known by a number of different names over the years including Don, Down House, Downhous, Bythedown and Bythedon. The earliest references to a property called Downhous in Sampford Spiney are dated 1444 (Acc1278/5) and 1468 (Acc 1278/6). A series of leases and rentals for 1544, 1566, 1566, 1602, 1627, 1635 and 1640-1 testify to continued occupation of the farm. A memorandum within a feoffment of March 1641 mentions a mansion house called Don by the Downe (Acc 81R/10/7/2) and a release of 1661 describes Don alias By the Downe as comprising: ¿a close garden Shutt parkes ?indle parkes, Downe housen, two Castle parkes, Little meadow (alias the Old Womans meadow), Middle meadow, backside of the towne place, hall house and three chambers over the same hall, stall or shippon, shop, buttery, milk house, malt house, higher end of the barn, lower herb garden and the orchard behind the barn and liberty to use the common bakehouse¿ (Acc 81R/10/7/3). In September 1695 the property is described as ¿one house called the parlour, little milk house, all rooms over the same parlour, lower end of the barn, stable to the end of the barn¿ (Acc 81R/10/7/6) and a few years later in 1698 as ¿a hall house and three chambers over the same, stall or shippon, shop, buttery, milk house, malt house, higher end of the barn, lower herb garden and orchard behind the barn, liberty to use the common bakehouse¿ (Acc 81R/10/7/7 (a-b)). In 1744 Don, otherwise By the Downe, is described as comprising of: ¿one messuage, two cottages, three gardens, three orchards, 30 acres of land, 10 acres of meadow, 20 acres of pasture, 20 acres of furze and heath and common pasture for all manner of cattle¿ (Acc 81R/10/7/8). Further documents attest to continued occupation through the 18th century and Gardner¿s Survey of 1784-86 depicts the farm as Down House with three buildings. Only the north eastern building still stands and is the subject of this advice. The house is shown in its present form on the 1844 Tithe Apportionment Map, although the barn is not depicted. During the 19th century the house formed the focus of a 150 acre farm which in 1850 was farmed by John Lillicrap, who employed two men and one boy. By the mid-20th century the house had been abandoned and was subsequently renovated during the 1980¿s.
Farmhouse with 15th or 16th century origins and attached mid-19th century barn. Both the house and barn illustrate clear evidence of initial development followed by large-scale rebuilding and remodelling. The walls are of slatestone rubble construction with some granite quoins and carry a replacement pitched asbestos slate roof supported by 20th century trusses. Only part of the original plan-form survives and includes a cross-passage and one room at ground floor; a northern room and outshot were added later. The original layout of the first floor has been entirely lost. The house stands two storeys high and there are three, rubble-built ridge chimney stacks; one at either end of the building and the third to the south of the centre. The northern stack breaks forward slightly from the line of the wall. The fenestration is irregular and most of the windows are timber casements with a slate sill and wooden lintel, but there are also two dressed granite mullion windows on the eastern elevation, a three light mullion window on the west and two small granite edged windows with iron glazing bars on the north. A dressed granite round-headed door in the western wall marks the position of the original front door. There are nine pigeon nesting boxes arranged in three groups, just below the eaves on the eastern elevation. A small number of architectural fragments built into the walls provide evidence of reconstruction and re-ordering.
The barn attached to the southern end of the house is single story with an attic space. The walls are mainly of random slatestone with some granite, including at least one large boulder. The roof is now hipped at the southern end, but may have originally been gabled with a central door providing access to the loft space. The lower part of this door is now blocked, the top removed and a window inserted. 20th century alterations to the roof include the insertion of a roof dormer and skylight. Three small windows in the eastern elevation have slate sills and timber lintels. The western elevation of the barn was originally largely open-fronted and a large horizontal beam denotes the extent of this opening. Subsequently the gap was filled to create two doors, one of which was later partly blocked to provide a window.
The ground floor of the house has three even-sized rooms and a small, single-storey outshot on the east. The centre of the house represents the earliest identifiable element. All that remains is a single room with southern cross-passage and comprises the present day kitchen and the northern part of the living room. Original features within this part of the house include: a timber round headed doorway of 16th century date leading to a spiral staircase built within the outer western wall; chamfered ceiling beams; a double-light dressed granite mullion widow and the granite roundarched door. Some original 16th century fabric survives, although most of the southern and eastern walls have been rebuilt together with the upper part of the western wall. The large fireplace in the kitchen,
has seen considerable modification with the loss of the original jambs and modification of the large granite lintel in the late 20th century. The northern room in the house represents a later addition. Internal access to this room is through a doorway with a chamfered granite frame. This room contains: a second spiral staircase; substantial chamfered granite fireplace with chamfered jambs; a three light dressed granite mullion window and a huge granite salting trough standing in the north-east corner. The third identifiable phase is represented by the southern part of the living room. The former cross-passage was extended southward to create the third major space within the house. Internally, the evidence for this phase is provided by a large beam which used to rest on the outer wall of the house, but which is now held in a position by a metal clamp. The fourth phase was the addition of a single storey outshot. This part of the house has a dressed granite window with a pair of metal glazing bars, but this is unlikely to be in its original position and there is considerable evidence of recent modification and the present north facing door is not original.
The barn interior is very different in character to the house. All of the timber, with the exception of a few lintels, is machine cut and all of the features, including the wooden staircase and granite fireplace, are of late 20th century date. The roof is lightweight with insubstantial principals and trenched purlins.
The Principles of Selection for Designating Buildings published in March 2010 state that before 1700, all buildings that contain a significant proportion of their original fabric are designated; from 1700 to 1840, most buildings are designated and after 1840, because of the greatly increased number of buildings erected and the much larger numbers that have survived, progressively greater selection is necessary. The English Heritage Selection Guide for Domestic Buildings 1 (Vernacular) (2007) gives further guidance on the selection of dwellings for designation: vernacular buildings in particular need to show evidence of their building history in the retention of their plan form, fabric, construction and decorative detail, and show a good degree of intactness. The house dates to the period before 1700 and therefore this assessment will necessarily focus on the proportion of original fabric, plan form and degree of intactness. The English Heritage Selection Guide for Agricultural Buildings (2007) also suggests factors which are important in the consideration of barns. The period 1840-1880, from which the barn under consideration dates, was an age of increasing demand and technological change in agriculture: selection of buildings from these dates is made on grounds of innovation, intactness and architectural quality.
The House:
A range of 16th century architectural features and fittings confirm that By the Down has early origins. Additionally a complex and confused developmental sequence provides evidence of alterations to meet changing requirements and of course chronological depth to the building. The significant architectural elements from this period include: a timber round-headed doorway frame leading to a spiral staircase; a dressed granite round-headed door in the western cross-passage wall; three dressed granite mullion windows; a substantial granite fireplace; a second spiral staircase; granite salting trough and chamfered ceiling beams. Externally, the fabric of the building provides unambiguous evidence of large-scale loss and the replacement of original walling and features. The part of the building below the cross passage has been almost entirely removed, most of the first floor fabric and features have been lost and the roof structure is entirely modern. Evidence for a substantial re-building programme is provided by the presence of numerous architectural fragments scattered throughout the later fabric of the building. The loss of the fabric below the cross passage is particularly significant and means that it is not even possible to establish beyond doubt the original plan form and therefore the type of building. In general terms, less than a quarter of the historic fabric survives and whilst this retains a number of high quality original features and clear evidence for the early addition of the northern room these features do not compensate sufficiently for the loss of such a significant proportion of historic fabric and features. Smaller scale alterations including: alterations to the kitchen fire-place; replacement of ceiling beams and most windows and re-ordering of the outshot all cumulatively detract from the significance of the building. The good range of surviving documentation indicates that By The Down was a prosperous farm from the 15th century onwards. This evidence complements the architecture and confirms that the range of surviving architectural fragments were derived from demolished parts of this building and not brought from elsewhere. The significance or otherwise of this building relies on the degree of alteration and what proportion of the historic fabric survives. The architectural fragments within the fabric of the building provide a clear insight into the scale and impact of the later building work and despite the survival of a number of early features this does compensate sufficiently for the considerable losses. By The Down has therefore lost too great a proportion of its original fabric and has been too altered to meet the standard for designation. Whilst it is not of special interest in the national context, the building with its reminders of early origins is of undoubted local interest.
The Barn:
The barn attached to the southern end of the house is of mid-19th century date and was converted to domestic use in the later part of the 20th century. Original openings have been blocked, a new ceiling, fireplace and staircase inserted and the roof has been altered. The barn shows no signs of innovation has seen considerable alteration and has no significant architectural qualities. This building therefore clearly does not meet the exacting requirements for the designating buildings of this date
and type.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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