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Summary

A 16th century farmhouse with later improvements and alterations, modernised circa 1970. Mainly local stone and flint rubble with a thatch roof. Three room and through passage plan, originally open to the roof and divided by low partitions and heated by an open hearth, as indicated by the smoke-blackened thatch.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1098241: GORDHAYES FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST10NE/13
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 86653
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: ST10NE(M)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XVI to XX - 1501 AD to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 1950, Honiton RD, 45 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV118185.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1975 - 1980, ST10NE(M) (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV343939.

Site visit 27th October 1975. Not outstanding.

Devon and Somerset County Councils, 2000-2002, Historic Farmsteads Database, BH191H (Machine readable data file). SDV349681.

No information supplied.

English Heritage, 2009, Historic Houses Register (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV343599.

Date first listed: 22nd February 1955. Gordhayes Farmhouse. Early-mid 16th century with various later 16th, 17th and early 18th century improvements and alterations, modernised circa 1970. Local stone and flint rubble including sections of cob, parts are plastered; stone rubble stacks topped with 19th century brick; thatch roof.

Plan and development: the main block faces south-east and has a 3-room-and-through-passage plan. At the right (north-east) end there is an inner room parlour with a gable-end stack. Next to it is the hall which has an axial stack backing onto the passage. At the left end is an unheated service room (now used as a kitchen) and there is a one room dairy block projecting at right angles in front of the service
room. The roof structure shows that the original house was open to the roof from end to end, divided by low partitions and heated by an open hearth. The inner room was probably floored first but this end has since been rebuilt. The hall stack was inserted in the late 16th-early 17th century. The hall was floored over about the same time or maybe a little later. There was a major refurbishment in the early 18th century. At this time the inner room was lengthened and it was rebuilt as a parlour. The hall was downgraded to a kitchen and given a large oven, the housing of which projected into the passage, probably blocking the front end of the passage. The passage screen was moved a short distance into the passage and the service end was rebuilt. The dairy block was probably added at the same time. It has now been brought into domestic use. In the 19th century passage was restored when the old oven in the back of the hall fireplace was demolished and a new oven built in the side of the fireplace, its housing projecting outside. The house is 2 storeys throughout.

Exterior: irregular 1:2-window front of circa 1970 iron-framed casements without glazing bars. The passage front doorway is left of centre (alongside the dairy block). It contains a 20th century door. Alongside to left is an older sidelight containing rectangular panes of leaded glass. To right of the door is the oven projection. The eaves are carried down as a hood over the sidelight, door and oven housing. The roof of the main block is half-hipped to left and gable-ended to right. The dairy block roof is gable-ended. There are similar iron-framed 20th century windows around the house except to rear of the hall where there is a 17th century oak 4-light window with replacement chamfered mullions.
Interior: the service end has a roughly-finished crossbeam and the passage lower side screen has been stripped of plaster to reveal a plain frame of slender scantling. The hall has a large fireplace with limestone ashlar jambs and a chamfered oak lintel. The crossbeam is chamfered with step stops. The partition between the hall and inner room parlour has been removed although there is still the headbeam of an oak plank-and-muntin screen left there. There is no exposed beam in the inner room parlour. The parlour fireplace is early 18th century brick with curving pentan (back) and plain oak lintel, (there is a smaller version in the chamber above). The roof was extended both ends of the main block in the early 18th century but most of the original remains. It is a most unusual roof for its date. It is a series of A-frame trusses. These trusses, the common rafters and underside of the original thatch is heavily smoke-blackened from the original open hearth fire. The dairy block roof is carried on 18th century A-frame trusses. Other details: LBS No. 86653.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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