See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

15th century gatehouse and walls on the north side of Leigh Barton farmstead

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1168488: GATEHOUSE TO LEIGH BARTON FARM

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 444410
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX74NW/1/1
• Old Listed Building Ref (I): 99515
• Old SAM County Ref: 193
• Old SAM Ref: 24134
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX74NW12

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• GATEHOUSE (XV to XVI - 1401 AD to 1550 AD (Between))

Full description

Drewe Pearce Chartered Surveyors, Leigh Barton, Churchstow, Near Kingsbridge, Devon (Un-published). SDV344601.

Restored gate house set in a length of curtain wall. The upper chamber has a fireplace and garderobe, and is lit by traceried windows. Other details: Plans and photographs.

English Heritage, Leigh Barton, Churchstow, South Devon (Pamphlet). SDV344603.

The gatehouse is incorporated into a high, defensive stone wall which extends for 8-9 metres in either direction. This wall may never have been completed as no trace of it has been found beyond its present ends. Features to look out for include a small recess above the first floor chamber doorway which could only have been reached by a ladder and may have been a strong-room. Other details: Plan and illustrations.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Gateway' shown on 19th century map as a small square building with small rectangular buildings attached to the east and west.

Mee, A., 1934, Untitled Source, 111 (Monograph). SDV336497.

Everett, A. W., 1937, Leigh, 148-157 (Article in Serial). SDV336458.

Gatehouse faces north on south side of road. It has high flanking walls which were originally extended southwards to north range of building to make an outer court. 15th century date. Strong defensive character. Outer arch to gate is pointed but inner arch is rounded with curious corbelling. Room above gate is approached by newel stairs and contains fireplace, garderobe and interesting arrangement of cupboards. Other details: Photo and plan.

Radford, C. + Radford, R., 1939, 18th Report on Ancient Monuments, 67 (Article in Serial). SDV11940.

15th century gatehouse at Leigh Barton was Scheduled as an Ancient Monument in 1938.

Ministry of Works, 1939, Leigh Barton Farm, Gatehouse, Hall and Kitchen, Kingsbridge (Schedule Document). SDV156674.

Leigh Barton Farm, gatehouse, hall and kitchen. The building consists of two courts with a 15th century gatehouse on the north side. Other details: Monument 193.

Pevsner, N., 1952, The Buildings of England: South Devon, 194 (Monograph). SDV336217.

Two storied gatehouse with gables at right angles to gateway. Beam holes still visible for the timber rampart walk in flanking walls.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1952 - 1953, SX74NW12 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV336459.

15th century gatehouse. Two storeyed gatehouse with gables at right angles to the gateway, and walls to left and right in which the beam holes for the timber rampart walk are still visible. Constructed of local shale slabs. The building is in great need of repairs. Other details: Photograph.

Department of Environment, 1960, Kingsbridge RD, 12 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV323346.

In precarious state in 1957 owing to neglect. Rubble, with gabled slate roof and end stone stack. Mutilated mullioned and transomed windows. Round headed entrance arches. Stone newel stair.

Timms, S. C. + Griffith, F. M., 1982, Leigh Barton (Personal Comment). SDV336462.

Exterior seen. Gatehouse was taken into Department of the Environment guardianship along with the buildings to south in about 1975. Gatehouse appears to have undergone considerable recent repair. Photo in Devon County Council Conservation Section collection. Other details: Film No 547.

Morley, B. M., 1983, Leigh Barton, Churchstow, South Devon, 85 (Article in Serial). SDV336463.

Kerr, B., 1988, Results of CEU (HBMC) Excavation: Summary Report (Report - Excavation). SDV336464.

Excavation in June/July 1988 at western end of curtain wall showed no sign of its continuation westwards. Other details: Plan.

Department of Environment, 1989, Churchstow (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV336496.

The gatehouse to Leigh Barton was Listed on 28th July 1989. Gatehouse to farmhouse group built in the 15th century of thin bedded coursed schist under a slate roof. Gatehouse in two storeys, with flanking boundary walls. To the road a long section of blank wall contains pair of plank doors in pointed arch to double chamfer, flush voussoirs; centres above an upper chamber with 2-light mullion and transom window to uncusped heads in moulded stopped drip, set above a continuous moulded drip course which forms the bottom members of steep weathered coping to flanking screen walls. Upper level has coped verged and stack to pyramidal capping, left. Inner front has wide round arched opening to chamfer, under 2-light cusped window with drip, as outer face, above moulded string which becomes rich moulded wide corbel course to right over a set-back section of wall; small stair light on right return. Flank walls have drip course under parapet, to right with putlog holes or rafter recesses; to left a large rubble raking buttress supports outer end. Interior has upper chamber with fireplace and garderobe, approached by the stone spiral stair. Roof rebuilt in 1950's. Other details: LBS No 99515.

Gerrard, S., 1994, 133451 (Un-published). SDV336498.

The curtain wall and gatehouse at Leigh Barton lie immediately north of the farmhouse, and are largely built in the local greeny-grey schist. The gatehouse is 2-storied. The gateway itself has round headed arches to front and rear and the outer gateway has pintles for a pair of doors. On the east side a newel stair gives access from the passage to a chamber occupying the whole upper space. This has a fireplace on the east side, a garderobe in the north-west wall corner, and mullioned and transomed windows on both north and south walls. There is a cockloft or store accessible through a trap door in the wall above the door at the head of the stairs. The roof is modern, replacing the original one which collapsed in the 1950s. Other details: MPP AI 133451.

Department of National Heritage, 1996, Site of a Medieval Fortified House at Leigh Barton, including the South and West Ranges, a Gatehouse, Section of Curtain Wall and Fishpond (Schedule Document). SDV342503.

Monument includes the site of a fortified Medieval farmhouse at Leigh Barton, including the south and west building ranges of the house, a gatehouse, section of curtain wall and fishpond in addition to buried remains beneath the house. The gatehouse together with lengths of curtain wall lie immediately north of the farmhouse and are also largely built in the local greeny-grey schist. The gatehouse is two storeyed. The gateway itself has round headed arches to front and rear and the outer gateway has pintles for a pair of doors. On the east side a newel stair gives access from the passage to a chamber occupying the whole upper space. This has a fireplace on the east side, a garderobe in the north west wall corner, and mullioned and transomed windows on both north and south walls. There is a cockloft or store accessible through a trap door in the wall above the door at the head of the stairs. The roof is modern, replacing the original one which collapsed in the 1950s. Gatehouses and associated curtain walls were once a relatively common feature of fortified houses in Devon, but most were destroyed in the 18th century and the survival of such a fine example at this site is significant. Other details: Monument 24134.

Brown, S., 1998, Leigh Barton, 5-108 (Article in Serial). SDV336468.

Summary of archaeological work on the gatehouse at Leigh Barton since 1983. In 1958-9 the entire length of the external façade including large parts of the curtain wall were taken down and rebuilt.

Fearon, B., 2003, Return Visit to Leigh Barton, 5 (Article in Serial). SDV336474.

O'Connor Thompson, S., 2006, Leigh Barton Barns, Churchstow, Devon: An Archaeological Report, 4 (Report - Survey). SDV336475.

By the 16th century the Leighs had built a small gatehouse at Leigh Barton. The 'great gate at Leigh' was mentioned in 1564.

National Monuments Record, 2011, 444410 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV346477.

The site of a fortified medieval farmhouse at Leigh Barton, formerly a grange of Buckfast, including the south and west building ranges of the house, a gatehouse, section of curtain wall and fishpond in addition to buried remains beneath the Grade I Listed house. The curtain wall and gatehouse were added in the 15th or early part of the 16th century along with the pair of ranges associated with the farmhouse, which were restored in 1984-6.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Building at Leigh Barton shown on modern mapping

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV3938 - Unnamed Event

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