See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Former manor house, circa 15th century possibly with earlier origins, consisting of a hall with a solar crosswing to the south. The manor house is Listed Grade I.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1162392: FARDEL MANOR HOUSE INCLUDING WALLS TO NORTH WEST AND SOUTH WEST

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX65NW/119
• Old Listed Building Ref (I): 99144

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MANOR HOUSE (XV to XVIII - 1401 AD to 1800 AD (Between))

Full description

Beckerlegge, J. J., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV163751.

Fardel manor house. Known as fardel hall, now a farm. Rectangular plan, high garden walls complete rectangle. The only windows are inside the boundary walls. Projecting front porch commands the only entrance. Small room over porch has windows on three sides for defence. Same plan as great stert. Curved ceiling in small room upstairs near porch shows that the room was originally the minstrel's gallery of the great hall, the upper part of which has been turned into bedrooms. The old open fireplace in the hall. Fardel was the house of raleigh's grandfather (grandfather of sir walter), and sir walter's father was born here. Afterwards property of the hele's. Has well preserved private chapel (beckerlegge).

ANON, IN DAES NEWSLETTER, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174717.

Details of chapel on sx65nw/39. Fardel was centre of saxon estate, mentioned in domesday. Basis of structure is screen-passage-hall. Much altered. Traces of 14th century decorated windows. Fardel is in danger of waterlogging from proposed lee mill reservoir (anon, in daes newsletter).

UPHAM, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174718.

The estate is referred to in the will of george raleigh of fardel who died in 1596 (upham).

RIGHT, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174721.

Circa 15th possibly with earlier origins. Coursed granite, slate hung gables and slate roof with hipped and gabled ends. Consisting of hall with solar crosswing to south (right). Gabled 2-storeyed porch to left of hall. The service end to left (north) appears to have been reduced. Two storeys. Hall is now also 2-storeyed with hollow-chamfered stone mullion windows. The solar wing and porch have moulded 4-centred arch windows with 2 cusped lights, the solar window with transom. Two 4-centred arch light window to service end. Chamfered round-arched doorway to porch. Stone chimneystack over south end of hall and to side of porch interior: contains many interesting interior features. Floor and stack inserted in hall in circa late c16, the chimneypiece said to have been imported from a house in barnstaple. The room over the hall has segmental vaulted plaster ceiling. Timber screen to screens passage. The solar wing now contains an early c18 staircase and coved ceiling with modillion cornice. Ground floor of solar has early c18 panelled room with c17 moulded plaster ceiling. First floor of solar has massive ogee moulded plaster cornice to ceiling.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174723.

Beckerlegge, j. J. /tda/70(1938)157-9/7th report of the plymouth and district branch.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174724.

Osa=sx65nw15.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174725.

Smirke/arch. J. /18(1861)175.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174726.

Anon/daes newsletter/20(1967)2/fardel house.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174727.

Copeland, g. W. /tda/83(1951)109/20th report of the plymouth branch.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174728.

Upham, r. /dcnq/1 pt.1(1900-1901)202-204/the copy of the will of george raleigh.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174729.

Seymour, d. J. /ttnhs/12(1955-1958)11/the smaller manor houses of devon.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174730.

Reichel, o. J. /hundreds of devon/(1928-1938)29,98,157,268,307,319,320,329/ the hundred of ermington in early times.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174731.

Doe/hhr:south hams/(2/2/1984)16.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV174732.

Hoskins, w. G. /devon/(1954)377.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242.

Fardel was ferdendella in domesday. Reginald de valletorta held it of the count of mortain. Early descents of the manor given (reichel).

Department of Environment, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV328176.

Including forecourt garden boundary wall to west and south-west. Stone rubble with granite monolith gate piers with ball finials, mounting block on west side and 4-centred arch doorway on south side. And wall immediately north of house, probably largely rebuilt but retaining wide chamfered 3-centred arch doorway. Fardel was a saxon estate and a domesday manor. Seat of the raleighs from c14 until carew raleigh, son of sir walter, sold it to the heles (doe).

Seymour, D. J., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV4302.

Nothing to add (seymour).

Allan, J. + Higham, R. A. + Young, G., 2008, The Medieval Chapel at Fardel Manor, Cornwood, and its Context, 85-89 (Article in Serial). SDV344752.

The manor was owned by the Raleigh family which led to much antiquarian discussion as to whether or not Sir Walter Raleigh lived there.

Parker, R. W. + Allan, J. +Young, G., 2011, Historic Building Survey of Fardel Manor, Fardel, Cornwood, Devon (Report - Assessment). SDV360333.

Fardel is a medieval and later manor house lying in the southern part of Cornwood Parish a short distance to the north west of Ivybridge, on the southern edge of Dartmoor. The manor house and Fardel Barton (a farm now in separate ownership) are approached from the main road from Ivybridge to Cornwood by a long driveway guarded by rusticated gate-piers surmounted by stone balls, probably dating from the early 18th-century.

Fardel is a remarkable house which retains a great deal of ancient fabric, and a recognisably medieval
plan form despite many phases of subsequent development. The date of the building is difficult to
establish with any certainty. Many of the surviving early architectural features from the earliest phase
have dressings of elvan stone and feature four-centred arches; however, the presence of the detached
chapel, probably dating from the 13th- or 14th-century, may well imply that there was a manor house
here from an earlier date and it is possible that evidence of this will yet be discovered.

Medieval - The house seems certain to have consisted originally of an open hall in the central range flanked by two cross wings, one to the north and the other to the south.

During a late-medieval or early 16th-century phase of alterations the first-floor chamber in the north
range was altered by the insertion of two windows, one at each end, and possibly also the granite
doorway in the east wall.

During the 17th-century the house was drastically remodelled to produce a more compact dwelling.
The northern service ranges and the presumed secondary kitchen were demolished and replaced with
a two-storey service wing attached to the rear elevation of the hall. The roof of the hall appears to
have been rebuilt at a higher level than the original roof, presumably to allow for the insertion of a
new first floor above the hall. The chimney at the south end of the hall may date from this period,
perhaps replacing an earlier one in the east wall which was removed to allow for the kitchen
extension.

In this phase the orientation of the house was changed from west to south and a new entrance façade
was created overlooking the gardens. The northern parts of the house became service rooms and the
principal apartments in the south range were improved with panelling and elaborate plasterwork to
provide a well-appointed suite of genteel rooms. A new staircase of early 18th-century type was
added under a very grand coved ceiling in the south range and the earlier staircase was either removed
or demoted to the status of a back stair. Doors with raised fielded panelling and later doors with plain
panels, together with some more delicate plaster cornices may show that there were at least two 18th century phases of remodelling.

During the 19th-century the house may have declined from its high status to become a prosperous
farm, and few alterations appear to have been made, apart from the possible removal of part of the
floor in the north range, to create a high, open space which appears to have been employed as a dairy.
Some of the outbuildings along the north boundary may have been rebuilt at this time. It is possible
that the first floor may have been subdivided to provide extra bedrooms and a corridor serving them,
but there is little remaining evidence of 19th-century fixtures; any obviously 19th-century alterations,
appear to have been deleted during 20th-century restorations of the house. For example: no 19th century chimneypieces or iron grates remain visible anywhere in the building.

The 20th-century saw a rise in status of the property, which is reflected in the adoption of the name
‘Fardel Manor’ in place of ‘Fardel’ or ‘Fardel Barton’. In the early 20th-century, before 1921, the
ground-floor windows had been cut down to form French windows; however the house may not have
been significantly altered until after 1946, or indeed until the 1960s.

For further detail see library linked report.

Clark, J., 2013, Fardel (Un-published). SDV357427.

Remains of a small medieval manor house, confusingly altered, owned by the Raleighs from the fourteenth century and the Heles from the seventeenth century.

Ordnance Survey, 2014, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV355681.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4771 - Survey of the Chapel at Fardel Manor, Cornwood
• EDV7337 - Historic Building Survey of Fardel Manor, Fardel (Ref: 11.00)

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.