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Summary

Late medieval longhouse (now house) with additions. Badly damaged by fire in 1982, but carefully restored. Three-room and through-passage plan, the former shippon occupying the lower room to left. The plan is highly unusual for Devon in having its hall fireplace at the upper end, instead of backing on to the through-passage; the inner room, to right, has no fireplace. In front of the hall is a lean-to projection, probably a later addition.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1260392: HIGHER TOR FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• National Buildings Record: 31523
• National Monuments Record: SX67SE283
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 511403
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SE/201
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 440890

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CRUCK HOUSE (Built, Late Medieval - 1401 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• LONGHOUSE (Built, Late Medieval - 1401 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• OPEN HALL HOUSE (Built, Late Medieval - 1401 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• HOUSE (Constructed, Late 20th Century - 1980 AD (Between) to 1989 AD (Between))

Full description

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments (Cartographic). SDV359954.

Depicted on the Tithe Map in plot 2129; 'Garden Spot', part of Lower Tarr. Shown with dwelling and a smaller square building at the north-western end (not joined at this time).

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Unchanged from the Tithe Map; still a gap at this time between structures.

Barley, M. W., 1961, The English Farmhouse and Cottage, 110 (Monograph). SDV292363.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1963, Monuments Threatened or Destroyed, 1956-62, 32 (Un-published). SDV83845.

Torr farm. Farmhouse of stone, one and two storeys. Of medieval origin, and built on longhouse plan. Originally of one storey throughout; chimney, staircase and upper floor inserted in 17th century; roof on raised crucks with ridge carried on yokes below meeting of cruck blades.

Mercer, E., 1975, English Vernacular Houses, 151 No 90. (Monograph). SDV336308.

Department of Environment, 1986, Widecombe in the Moor, 102 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV289221.

Higher Tor farmhouse, formerly a longhouse. Late medieval, with additions. Badly damaged by fire in 1982, but has been carefully restored. Granite rubble. Blackened roof timbers and wattles suggest that originally the farmhouse was a single-storeyed structure, the hall stack and upper floor probably being inserted in 1632. This date is carved with the initials RH on a wood lintel over the fireplace. Many other features see List for full details.
The house was recorded before being converted from a longhouse see Barley's account.

Ordnance Survey, 2018, MasterMap 2018 (Cartographic). SDV360652.

Shown on the modern mapping, now appears to be joined to square structure at north-western end. Now shown as part of Higher Tor farm.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

WIDECOMBE-IN- SX 67 SE THE-MOOR 5/172 Higher Tor Farmhouse 23.8.55 - GV II*
House, formerly a longhouse. Late medieval, with additions. Badly damaged by fire in 1982, but has been carefully restored. Granite rubble. Thatched roof, hipped at left-hand end; added range to right is part-slated and part-covered with corrugated iron. Granite chimneystack with tapered top (heating former hall) on ridge towards right-hand end.
3-room and through-passage plan, the former shippon occupying the lower room to left. The plan is highly unusual for Devon in having its hall fireplace at the upper end, instead of backing on to the through-passage; the inner room, to right, has no fireplace. In front of the hall is a lean-to projection, probably a later addition.
2 storeys; lean-to single-storeyed. House part is 2 windows wide; all windows have C20 wood casements. Stone entrance porch with pent roof. Former shippon has separate door with plain granite lintel; ventilation slit to left of it. Addition at right-hand end seems to have been a linhay, judging by the granite post in the centre. To right of this is a gabled projection with a flight of old stone steps in front.
Interior : front door has a cambered wood lintel internally. Stone wall between passage and hall. Latter has fireplace with splayed granite jambs and ovolo-moulded wood lintel carved with the initials and date RH 1632; oven in back of fireplace. Upper-floor beams over hall are chamfered with straight-cut stops; joists have scratch mouldings. Door to inner room has cranked wooden head. Stair to upper floor is on rear side of stack; bottom step is of granite. Roof retains 4 raised cruck trusses, 1 over the shippon and 3 over the hall; the feet of the shippon crucks reach almost to the ground. The crucks, ridge and common rafters are of primitive appearance, being merely roughly trimmed tree-trunks. The blades do not meet at the apex, but are linked by a yoke passing through each blade a little way below the top, this carrying the ridge; the yoke is held in position by a peg passing vertically through it each side, just beyond the outer edge of the blade. The thatch formerly had a layer of wattles on the underside, both these and the roof-timbers being blackened from the use of an open hearth. Presumably, therefore, this originated as a single-storeyed structure, the hall stack and upper floor probably being inserted in 1632.
The house was recorded while it was still an unconverted longhouse. It is discussed (with a plan) in 1) M W Barley, The English Farmhouse and Cottage, 1961, p.110 (fig 17B), 2) E Mercer, English Vernacular Houses, 1975, p.151 (no. 90).
Listing NGR: SX6978272606

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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