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Summary

A well-preserved multi-phase farmhouse with late medieval origins.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1325842: LOWER CHILVERTON

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SS60NE7
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS60NE/19
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (Built, XV to XVIII - 1401 AD (Between) to 1800 AD (Between)) + Sci.Date

Full description

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 365 (Monograph). SDV1312.

Chilverton is documented in 1281 and 1333.

Hulland, C., 1980, Devonshire Farmhouses Part V, 159-164 (Article in Serial). SDV50847.

A three room cross passage house with a later west wing. The hall contains an excellent screen and ceiling. The roof is of jointed cruck construction. Hulland suggests a late 15th or early 16th century date for the original house, with 16th, 17th and 18th century modifications. To the west lies a barn, of suggested 16th century date.

Beacham, P., 1980, Local building traditions in Devon from the medieval period to 1700, 124-5, Fig. 11.9 (Article in Monograph). SDV51554.

High quality medieval house. The hall has low partitions which were later raised and predate the insertion of the richly moulded ceiling in the 17th century.

Alcock, N. W., 1981, Cruck Construction: An Introduction and Catalogue, 109 (Report - non-specific). SDV342504.

Jointed cruck recorded at Lower Chilverton (citing Hulland).

Hulland, C., 1982, List of Historic Houses (Un-published). SDV75440.

Full record deposited in westcountry studies library.

Department of Environment, 1986, Coldridge, 6-7 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV337226.

Lower Chilverton. Farmhouse, early C16 with major later C16 and C17 improvements and C17 extension. Plastered walls, mostly random stone rubble but some cob near the top; stone rubble stacks topped with C19 and C20 brick; thatch roof. Originally a 3 room and through passage plan house facing south with inner room at left end. A C17 unheated dairy block with main stairs projecting at right angles to rear of hall. Now 2 storeys throughout. Irregular 4 window front of C20 casements with glazing bars. The roof is gable-ended.
Good interior of a house with a long and complex structural history. The original house was open from ground floor to roof and divided by only low partitions. Evidence of smoke-blackening to roof. Many features including head of oak plank and muntin screen, late 16th/early 17th century hall fireplace with secondary oven, fine high ceiling, blocked early C16 window. See DoE list for full details.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 275 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Child, P., 1995, Lower Chilverton, Coldridge (Ground Photograph). SDV365339.

Photo of exterior of house.

Keystone Historic Buildings Consultants, 1997, Interim Report on Devon Dendrochronology Project (Report - Interim). SDV230147.

Site visit 6th March 1996. Well preserved multi-phase farmhouse with late medieval origins. Three-room and cross passage plan, built across slope facing south, with the inner room at the west end. The slope is so steep that the rear is terraced into hillslope and apparently there was no rear doorway to the passage.
The late 15th century five bay roof is so complete from end to end that it still retains original thatching battens and a neatly laid base coat of rye thatch. The roof is also heavily smoke blackened from end to end, even though though the truss directly above the upper passage screen appears to have been closed from the beginning. This suggests that original house had two open hearth fires, one in the hall, the other in the service end. Dendrochronological analysis gave a felling date of 1481-c.1505.
It is superior to most yeoman-class houses in the area.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

Lower Chilverton marked.

Ward, G., Unknown, Lower Chilverton (Ground Photograph). SDV51555.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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