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Summary

14th century farmhouse, remodelled and partly rebuilt in the late 16th/early 17th century. 1984 renovations. Three room and through passage plan, lower end to the right (east), hall stack backing on to passage. The origins of the building are a high quality 14th century open hall house (dated pottery fragments found under quoin at upper end), with an arched brace roof truss with an unusual apex over the hall and the remains of a second arched brace truss truncated when the hall stack was added. An important medieval house with rare evidence for dating. Possibly the home of William de Alre, documented in 1333.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1333894: ALLER FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 899617
• National Monuments Record: SX88SW28
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX88SW/32
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 85583

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CROSS PASSAGE HOUSE (Built, XIII to Early 20th Century - 1300 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• FARMHOUSE (Built, XIII to Early 20th Century - 1300 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1932, The Place-Names of Devon: Part Two, 431 (Monograph). SDV337894.

Aller Farm. Probable home of William de Alre documented in 1333.

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric, (1963) (Cartographic). SDV350058.

(SX83478408) Aller Farmhouse [NAT].

Devon County Council, 1983, Aller Farm, Christow (Photograph). SDV288762.

Griffiths, F. M., 1983, Comment about Aller Farm, Christow (Personal Comment). SDV288761.

2/6/1983 In addition to the features described above, the house has a scratched plaster date plaque 'WWM 1701' over the now blocked back entrance to the cross passage. The house is currently in process of renovation.
The farm also has a good selection of typical farm buildings including a five bay linhay with two granite pillars, the front now being boarded at the bottom, with pegged a frame trusses, a cob and stone threshing barn terraced into the hill and out on a platform, with attached horse engine house, and several other cob and stone buildings including one formerly of two storeys, now a large open structure (the easternmost) with two good reused windows, one with ovolo moulded mullions.

Timms, S., 1983, Planning Department File 23/11 (Planning Application). SDV288760.

Excellent example of late Medieval farmhouse with high quality later features. Built of stone with three room cross-passage plan. Two smoke-blackened roof trusses survive over former open hall. Central truss over hall is arch-braced with elaborate yoke suggesting very early date. Stud and panel screen between hall and inner room. Post-medieval features include crenellated granite stack, 17th century hall ceiling beam (with chamfers and stops) and internal jetty. The lower room has 17th century ovolo moulded window and an 18th century cupboard.
The Dartmoor National Park Authority have served a Building Protection Notice on Aller Farm in April 1983 and it is likely to be listed Grade II or II* by the Department of Environment.

Beacham, P. M., 1984, Comment about Aller Farm, Christow (Personal Comment). SDV288763.

Apparently contains a screen removed from Higher Crockham Farm (MDV9387) in the 1970s.

Department of Environment, 1988, Christow, 51-52 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV308409.

Aller Farmhouse. 14th century pottery fragment found during rebuilding dated by John Allan, remodelled and partly rebuilt in the late 16th/early 17th century. 1984 renovations. Whitewashed rendered stone rubble with some cob, left end wall rebuilt in concrete block; thatched roof, gabled at left end, hipped at right end.
Three room cross passage plan. The origins of the building are a high quality 14th century open hall house. Two storeys. Asymmetrical three window front with a 20th century plank and cover strip front door to the former passage to right of centre with a probably re-sited chamfered stopped lintel; plaster date plaque over the door "WMN 1707". Two and three-light timber casement windows with glazed bars. The granite ashlar back of the hall stack is exposed in the (former) passage with a plinth and cornice, the remainder of the partition made up of plank and muntin screen. The screen possibly part of the medieval arrangement has substantial traces of paint with designs of grapes and foliage. Remains of an important medieval roof over the hall, below a larger roof structure. Evidence of smoke-blackening. See List for full details.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 262 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Aller Farmhouse. C14th but remodelled and partly rebuilt in the late C16th/early C17th. Three-room-and-through-passage plan, developed from a high quality C14th open hall house (dated pottery fragments found beneath quain at upper end).

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

House at Aller is depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, 1333894 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

CHRISTOW SX 88 SW 5/64 Aller Farmhouse 26.10.83 GV II*
Farmhouse. C14 (pottery fragment found during rebuilding dated by John Allan, remodelled and partly rebuilt in the late C16/early C17. 1984 renovations. Whitewashed rendered stone rubble with some cob, left end wall rebuilt in concrete block ; thatched roof, gabled at left end, hipped at right end ; rebuilt left end stack, axial stack with granite shaft and crencellated cap, right end stack.
Plan: 3 room and through passage plan, lower end to the right (east), hall stack backing on to passage. The origins of the building are a high quality C14 open hall house (dated pottery fragments found under quoin at upper end), with an arched brace roof truss with an unusual apex over the hall and the remains of a second arched brace truss truncated when the hall stack was added. Evidence of both lower and higher end jetties indicate that the ends of the house were floored before the hall and the insertion of the hall stack. A recess adjacent to the hall stack may be the position of the first hall stair, subsequently replaced by a stair against the rear wall ; a probably C19 straight stair rises against the rear wall of the inner room with access from the hall. The lower end was re-roofed and probably rebuilt in the C17 and appears to have been unheated until the C19,the inner room may also have been unheated until the C19 when it was re-roofed. A detached block with a stack, semi-ruinous and demolished in the last 6 years (information from owner) may have been the C17 kitchen. C20 renovations have involved the introduction of carpentry from elsewhere : the lower end partition of the passage no longer exists.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 3 window front with a C20 plank and cover strip front door to the former passage to right of centre with a probably re-sited chamfered stopped lintel ; plaster date plaque over the door, WMN 1707. 2- and 3- light timber casement windows with glazed bars, some with re-used timber lintels. The rear elevation is slightly broken forward in the centre and blind, apart from the cross passage rear door. The right return has a first floor 2-light ovolo-moulded timber mullioned window, re-sited from the rear wall.
Interior: The granite ashlar back of the hall stack is exposed in the (former) passage with a plinth and cornice, the remainder of the partition made up of a plank and muntin screen. Under the stair adjoining the cross passage is a granite trough with several holes drilled in the base, possibly related to a chancel crossing the floor of the lower end and leaving the building through one corner (Laithwaite). The ceiling beams of the lower end room, a chamfered step-stopped cross beam with chamfered stopped joists are all introduced from elsewhere, replacing a chamfered stopped joists and an RSJ. The hall has a good open fireplace with massive chamfered granite lintel and jambs and the remains of a bread oven in a recess adjacent to the stack. The hall crossbeam is chamfered and stopped, the joists (concealed by ceiling plaster) with bead moulding. C20 replacement joists with moulded ends replace a mutilated jetty projecting into the hall adjacent to the stack, the room over the inner room was formerly jettied into the hall but the evidence is concealed by ceiling plaster. Plank and muntin screen at higher end with chamfered muntins with diagonal stops, the screen, possibly part of the medieval arrangement has substantial traces of paint with designs of grapes and foliage ; C18 panelled door to hall stair with HL hinges. The inner room has a chamfered cross beam beam and exposed joists of large scantling.
Roof: Remains of an important medieval roof over the hall, below a lager roof structure : one smoke blackened arched brace main truss with yoke to carry a square- set ridge, the truss infilled with plaster, sooted on the hall side ; sooted rafters survive and the remains of a second truss, truncated by the stack. Sooted purlins and rafters extend over the passage as far as a later, C17, collar rafter truss with a lap dovetailed collar and daigonally-set ridge. I brace from the medieval roof survives to the rear of the ridge, visible in the first floor room over the lower end.
An important medieval house with rare evidence for dating. Possibly the home of William de Alre, documented in 1333. Laitwaite, M. Unpublished notes on Aller.
Listing NGR: SX8347884086

Hughes, S., 2020, Aller Farmhouse, Christow, Devon Results of Archaeological Monitoring and Recording (Report - Watching Brief). SDV363758.

Groundworks were monitored during works for a new extension. No archaeological features or deposits were exposed, and no finds were recovered.
Despite the location of the new extension as adjacent to the medieval range of the farmhouse, no architectural features or activity associated with its medieval origin or post-medieval occupation was exposed by the work. The 1980s development of the property had created the broad terrace that was cut deep into the mudstone hillslope. This had served to remove the edge of the original terrace in which the farmhouse was constructed. Furthermore, the contemporary renovations to the west gable were shown to have replaced all historic fabric with modern materials.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8309 - Monitoring and recording at Aller Farmhouse, Christow (Ref: ACD2185)

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