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Summary

Late medieval farmhouse, mostly rebuilt in the mid 17th century.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1325898: GREAT SOUTHDOWN FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST01NE/31
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (Unknown date)

Full description

English Heritage, ST01NE, 32141 (Un-published). SDV338376.

Report and architectural plan in National Buildings Record.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 548 (Monograph). SDV1312.

'Bisouthedon' first mentioned in 1219 Assize Rolls.

Department of Environment, 1957, Tiverton Rural District (Provisional List), 7 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV337001.

Department of Environment, 1988, Burlescombe (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV50563.

Wessex Archaeology, 2007, Historic Environment Audit of Devon County Farms. Pilot Project. Results of Great Southdown Farm, Burlescombe, 4, 9, pl. 1 (Report - Assessment). SDV338344.

The 1841 Tithe Map shows the farmhouse occupying the front of a square plan complex of farm buildings with a central enclosed courtyard. Farm called Great Sowden at this time. House extended to west between 1841 and 1889. Present house is two storey, rendered and painted with pitched slate roof. Other details: No 1052.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, 1325898 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

Great Southdown Farmhouse. Farmhouse. Late medieval origins, mostly rebuilt in the mid C17, cider house added in the C18, modernised in C19 and some C20 repairs. Plastered cob and local stone rubble; one stone rubble, one cob stack, both topped with C19 and C20 brick; slate roof, formerly thatch. Plan and development: F-plan house. The main block faces south-east and has a 4- room plan. At the right (north-east) end there is the former kitchen with a large end stack. The central 2 rooms are the principal rooms and an axial stack between them serves back-to-back fireplaces. Front lobby entrance in front of this stack. The left end room is unheated and appears to be an C18 or C19 extension. Original rear block projecting at right angles behind the kitchen was probably a 2-room plan dairy/service block and both rooms here are unheated. The 2-storey outshot running corridors along the back of the main block is thought to be an original feature. An C18 cider house projects at right angles to rear of the centre of the main block. House is 2 storeys. Exterior: irregular 6-window front of C20 casements, most of them without glazing bars. Front doorway is right of centre and now contains a C20 door behind a contemporary gabled porch. Roof is gable-ended to left and hipped to right. Similar C20 casements in rear block but rear of main block includes a couple of C18 or C19 windows containing rectangular panes of leaded glass. Interior is largely the result of C19 modernisation but where carpentry detail is exposed in the house it is C17. In the main block the rooms either side of the axial stack have soffit-chamfered and straight cut stopped beams, so too do the rooms of the rear dairy/service block. The former kitchen however has a soffit- chamfered crossbeam with elongated scroll stops. All the fireplaces are blocked by later fireplaces. The chamber over the main block room left of centre has a ceiling carried on a soffit-chamfered axial beam with bar-runout stops. The roof over this chamber was replaced in the C20 but the rest is still carried on C17 side-pegged jointed cruck trusses with dovetail-shaped lap-jointed collars. The roof is clean except for one bay of the rear block where the timbers appear to be smokeblackened from a late medieval open heath fire. However the trusses each end of this bay are clean and C17. The C18 cider house is part-floored, the open section is nearest the house. The apple loft is carried on large plainly-finished crossbeams and the roof is made up of A-frame trusses with pegged lap-jointed collars and X-apexes. Part of the cider press remains but the rest of the machinery has been removed to Sidmouth Museum. Bisouthedon is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of 1219.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4199 - Devon County Farms Historic Environment Audit (Pilot Project)

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