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Summary

Colour washed cob and stone house with thatched roof, of 17th or 18th century origin.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS51SW/42/1
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Early Medieval to XXI - 1066 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 1959, Torrington RD Provisional List (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV118.

Beaford Mill House. Colour washed cob and stone house with thatched roof, in picturesque situation.

Department of Environment, 1989, Beaford (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV321165.

Beaford Mill House and adjoining garden walls
Mill house, now house. C16, altered and enlarged in the C17. Rendered cob on stone rubble plinth. Gable-ended wheatstraw thatched roof. Stone end stacks to right and rear and lateral stack to rear, partly rendered.
Plan and development: C16 three-room and through passage plan, facing north-west (ground falls to right). Central hall with external lateral stack to rear, former service room to right with external end stack and former inner unheated room to left. The house may have been originally open to the roof and heated by an open-hearth fire (possibly open from end to end). External lateral stack added to the rear of the hall in the early C17, probably while the hall remained open to the roof (see high lintel). Early C17 one-roomed kitchen wing projecting at right angles to rear of hall with integral end stack and C17 winder stair in corner. First-floor inserted in the hall, probably in the late C17. Probable C19 lean-to addition (possibly formerly dairy) in left-hand angle of rear wing, and late C20 lean-to porch in right-hand angle of rear wing. Probably C19 staircases rising from left-hand inner room and right-hand lower end room. Two storeys.
Exterior: Asymmetrically fenestrated front. Central first-floor C19 two-light small-paned wooden casement (lighting chamber over hall) with wooden lintel. Three ground-floor windows, mid to late C19 four-paned sashes lighting hall to centre and to right-hand end, with wooden lintels, and late C20 plate-glass window to left. Passage doorway off-centre to right has mid C19 five-panelled door (lower panels beaded flush, centre panel recessed and upper panels glazed) and wooden lintel. Left-hand gable end has C19 two-light wooden casement to each floor. Right-hand gable end has first-floor 2-light wooden casement to left of stack with wooden lintel and raking buttress to right. Rear of right-hand end has first-floor C19 two-light wooden casement and ground-floor C19 three-light wooden casement, both with wooden lintels. Passage rear doorway to right. South-west side of rear (kitchen) wing has ground-floor C19 three-light wooden casement, lighting kitchen and lean-to bread oven to right. Doorway to left has C17 chamfered wooden frame (now inside C20 lean-to porch). North-east side of rear wing has first-floor C18 three-light wooden casement and ground-floor boarded door.
Low C19 stone rubble walls enclosing small garden to front (north-west) of house, with central gateway. Short length of stone rubble wall adjoining to south-west of rear wing with slate coping and gateway with wooden lintel.
Interior: Stone-flagged passage with C19 matchboarded dado and C19 panelled doors. Hall has late C17 chamfered spine beam with ogee stops and plain joists. Fireplace to rear (altered in the late C20) with high wooden lintel. Trimmer in ceiling to right of fireplace, evidence of possible former staircase. Window seat to front. Former inner room to left has C17 spine beam with broach stops. Right-hand ground-floor room has brick floor, longitudinal joists and C17 open fireplace with splayed dressed stone jambs and plain wooden lintel. Stone cross walls between rooms in hall range, possibly later additions or rebuildings. Owner (December 1987) reports that the roof over the hall range has trusses with straight principals (roofspace is ceiled). Ground-floor room in rear wing (kitchen) has C17 chamfered cross beam with stepped run-out stops and joists. Open fireplace to rear with large wooden lintel and bread oven to right with cast-iron door. Window seat in side wall. First-floor room in rear wing approached by steep C17 winder stair in corner by stack. Old floor-boards and old plaster ceiling, up to collar level. C18 window in north-east wall has wooden diamond-section stanchion to centre light. C17 truss visible, with straight principals and collar. Roof-spaces not inspected (ceiled).
The house forms part of a mill complex, also including the mill, leat retaining walls and bridges. Other details: LBS 91625.

Edwards, D. K., 1999, Beaford Mill - Grade II Listed Building (Correspondence). SDV352318.

The two building phases are interesting in that there was no internal link betweek the 16th- and 17th century phases at ground floor level.

Child, P. C., 2000, Beaford Mill House (Un-published). SDV15830.

Now possible to see main roof structure, which is of simple A-frames. Not smoke blackened - no older than 18c, possibly later. Could be replacement roof. Stair in kitchen wing not 17c but 19c. No evidence of anything earlier than 17c in house .

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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