See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

An early 16th century farmhouse, later rearranged apparently in a single late 16th century - early 17th century building phase.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1098226: SMITHENHAYES FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST10SE/49
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XVI to XVII - 1501 AD to 1650 AD (Between))

Full description

Unattributed, Smithenhayes Farm, BH140001 (Ground Photograph). SDV351983.

Unattributed, Smithenhayes Farm, BH140006, BH140022 (Un-published). SDV351984.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV109233.

Smythenhayes farmhouse.

DOE 1950, Untitled Source (Report - Survey). SDV109235.

Vis=-/-/1975 (thorp) two storey, flint and cob. Three room cross passage plan, the service room at eastern, downhill, end. Single storey outshot to north of kitchen. Two stacks, one at east gable for kitchen, a second backs onto cross passage. This has side oven (doe 1950).

NOTES IN PF, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV109236.

Roof inaccessible, but three jointed cruck trusses visible, sitting on first floor cross beams. Details of stops recorded. The presence of an early lintel sealed by a ceiling beam suggests a late-medieval origin, largely rebuilt in late 16th/early 17th century (notes in pf).

NMR CITING DOE, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV109237.

Early 16c, enlarged + rearranged apparently in a single late 16c/early 17c phase. Modernised c.1975. Three room and through passage plan. Grade ii* (nmr citing doe).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV109238.

Doe/hhr:honiton rd/(1950)29.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV109239.

Des=thorp, j. R. /notes (1983) in parish file.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV109240.

Nmr=st10se41.

MHLG, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV131769.

Vis=estimated -/-/1949 (mhlg) 17th century. Rubble, half-hipped thatched roof. Projection at front - old chimney or oven? centre stone chimney.

Foster, K. + Skinner, R., 01/2016, A30 to A303 Honiton to Devonshire Inn Improvement Scheme, Honiton, Devon (Report - Assessment). SDV359378.

DBA undertaken along a corridor associated with the A30/A303 between Honiton and Devonshire Inn. This study is intended to inform the development of options for improvements to theA30/A303 between Honiton and Devonshire Inn.

Smithenhayes Farmhouse is a 16th-century farmhouse with a core that is typical Blackdown Hills vernacular with a three room plan, chert rubble walls and a thatched roof. The farmhouse was enlarged in the late 16th/17th century and has had little further modification aside from some modernisation in the late 20th century. The farmhouse is set within a complex of modern farm buildings and has a small garden. It is situated immediately adjacent to a narrow lane on the west side of the Otter Valley. The farmhouse is not particularly prominent within the valley but views are possible from it across farmland to the east including the Site.

The house derives its significance from its evidential (architectural value), its aesthetic value as a typical Blackdown Hills cottage and from its historical value as a surviving feature of the late-medieval landscape. The farmhouse’s immediate setting. its garden and farm buildings, is its most important, the buildings having a functional link with the house and the gardens representing a secluded, intimate space from which to experience the house.

The wider setting of fields around the farm is also important as it represents the farmhouse’s original, historic setting with a close functional link to the working of the farm. The tranquil, rural character of this part of the valley reflects the house’s original historic setting. The busy A30 is visible on the far side of the valley but is largely screened from it by buildings and hedgerows. As such the house is unaffected by the road’s associated noise.

Any scheme that affects the fields to the east of Smithenhayes Farm within its Otter Valley setting would be considered to be within the farmhouse’s setting and would be likely to impact upon its significance.

Clements, H. A., 1994, Survey of Farmsteads in the Devon Part of the Blackdown Hills, Plan and photos (Report - Survey). SDV344050.

16th century farmhouse

Devon and Somerset County Councils, 2000-2002, Historic Farmsteads Database, BH140 (Machine readable data file). SDV349681.

No information supplied.

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

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

Smithenhayes Farmhouse.

Early 16th century, enlarged and rearranged apparently in a single late 16th century - early 17th century building phase, modernised circa 1975. Local stone and flint rubble with a good deal of cob in the rear wall; stone rubble stacks one with a stone rubble chimneyshaft the other one topped with 19th century brick; thatch roof, interlocking tile roofs to the outshots. Plan and development: 3-room-and-through-passage plan house facing south and built down a gentle hillslope. Uphill at the left (west) end is an unheated inner room, probably a former dairy or buttery. The hall next to it has an axial stack backing onto the passage and at the right end is the former service end kitchen with a gable-end stack. This layout is the result of a major late 16th century - early 17th century rearrangement and enlargement of the original farmhouse which occupied the inner room, hall and passage section. The stone rubble crosswall on the lower side of the passage is the original end wall. There were undoubtedly some improvements to the house between the early 16th century and the late 16th century - early 17th century but any evidence of them is either hidden or has been replaced. Nor is it possible to determine the early layout although it was certainly some kind of open hall house heated by an open hearth fire. House is 2 storeys with secondary lean-to outshots to rear. Exterior: irregular front fenestration with 4 ground floor windows and 3 first floor windows, all late 19th century and 20th century casements with glazing bars. The passage front doorway is right of centre and contains a 20th century part-glazed plank door. Immediately to right the straight join shows between the original house and the kitchen extension. The roof is half-hipped to left and gable-ended to right. Interior: the passage is wide and floored with 19th century brick. The rear doorway (now to the rear outshots) has an original early 16th century oak frame and is a 2-centred arch. Another similar doorframe has been reset in the rear outshot which is now used as the kitchen. On the right (former kitchen) side of the passage the doorway contains a late 16th century - early 17th century oak doorframe with an unusually shaped head (like an angular ogee arch) and chamfered surround. Both the hall and former kitchen have chamfered crossbeams with pyramid stops although one crossbeam in the kitchen has unstopped chamfers. Both fireplaces are large and have limestone ashlar jambs, oak lintels and chamfered surrounds with pyramid stops. The hall fireplace has panelled cheeks with some interesting old graffiti. The oven in this fireplace is a 19th century insertion. No carpentry is exposed in the inner room. On the first floor there was a small window in the rear wall over the passage doorway. It is blocked but still contains a late 16th century - early 17th century 2-light oak window with chamfered mullion. During the circa 1975 renovation a contemporary larger 2- light window was removed from the rear wall of the hall. It and the western crossbeam there were found to be in the blocking of the original full height window embrasure, the upper sides of which were smoke-blackened from the original open hearth fire. Although there was only limited access available to the roofspace at the time of this survey the roof structure over the hall was seen to be smoke- blackened. It is carried on side-pegged jointed cruck trusses and there is an original hip cruck in the lower passage wall. The roof over the former kitchen extension is carried on late 16th century -early 17th century side-pegged jointed cruck trusses which are set into the tops of the crossbeams. Smithenhayes is an attractive, interesting and well-preserved farmhouse.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4655 - Survey of Farmsteads in the Blackdown Hills

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