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Summary

Coombe Court Farm house built in the 17th century with later additions and alterations

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1097231: COOMBE FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX78NE/25
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XVI to XVII - 1600 AD to 1699 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Irregular shaped building shown on 19th century map at 'Combe fgarm.

Department of Environment, 1952, Newton Abbot RD (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV304573.

Coombe Farm. 17th century. Stone with thatch. Three gables. Barn extension to north, where fine quadrangle of later farm buildings.

Department of Environment, 1987, Moretonhampstead, 52 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV337636.

Dated 4th February 1987. Manor house. Circa 1840. Stucco walls with slate roof, gabled on all sides. Rendered brick octagonal chimneys. Dressed granite detail. Victorian Tudor Gothic style. Central stairhall plan with the two main front rooms facing the garden, behind which is the side entrance lobby to the left leading to the central stairhall with kitchen and service rooms behind. Small room to rear left faces the entrance side. Three storeys. Two gables on each side originally. Asymmetrical two-window entrance side with central doorway and slightly projecting chimney stack with weathering to the right. Windows are 12-pane sashes with hoodmoulds above. Second floor window in left gable is pointed lancet. Stringcourse above second floor window follows line of gables. Slightly projecting granite four-centred arched doorway with heavy roll moulding and arched hoodmould; stepped gable above. Diagonal buttresses on each corner. Garden front at the right return is symmetrical with two canted three-light bay windows which originally had battlements. First and second floor windows identical to those on entrance front. Side opposite entrance is irregular wing with granite mullion windows. Good interior with much original plasterwork and joinery which includes six-panel doors and staircase with curved handrail and curtail step, stick balusters and carved tread ends. Hall and landings have modillion cornice. Hall has central ceiling rose. Front room left has ornate moulded cornice and ceiling band of trailing vine and grapes. Panelled shutters to bay windows of both main rooms. Front room right has cornice and ceiling band and fireplace with eared architrave. Main first floor bedroom has simple moulded cornice (as do other first floor rooms) and fireplace with eared architrave.

Cox, J. + Thorp, J. R. L., 2013, Coombe Court, Moretonhampstead (Report - Assessment). SDV351946.

Four phases of building have been identified at Coombe Court.
Phase 1: Mid 17th century Longhouse had an L-shaped plan with the main block on an east-west axis down the hillslope with a one room wing extending south at right angles from the west end. There is evidence that the main block extended further east but was demolished in the mid 19th century. The surviving part of the old house was built two storeys high from the start.
Phas 2: Mid/Late 17th century Ceiling was added to the hall chamber which was ceiled with lime plaster up to collar level. In the centre of the ceiling is a simple cross design in lime plaster with each arm finished with a trident motif and the surface given a pattern of incised lines.
Phase 3: Mid 19th century Extension when the house was rearranged and enlarged. The shippon was demolished at the east end and a two storey one room plan extension was added onto the north side of the old main range. The large ground floor room was apparently built as a new kitchen with a large fireplace in the west wall. The house was reorientated to face east with a set of new farm buildings to the north. The space occupied by the old farm buildings to the south was converted into a garden. It is probable that the new stair was introduced at this time.
Phase 4: Early 20th century Addition and later alterations consisted of a small two storey extension onto the north end. The chimneystack in the east end indicates a fireplace at least to the ground floor room. This caused several changes within the house and further alterations were associated with the introduction of services such as a toilet and bathroom.

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

Irregular shaped building shown on modern mapping at 'Coombe Court Farm'.

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

Coombe Farmhouse (formery listed as - Coombe Court Farmhouse) was Listed on 23rd August 1955. The farmhouse was built in the 17th century or earlier with probably late 17th, 18th and 19th century additions. Granite rubble walls, lightly rendered and roughcast in places. Thatched roof with gable ends and one hip to left-hand wing. Gable, formerly axial, stack at front is constructed of granite blocks with capping and drip-course below and drip moulds at base. Brick chimney to right-hand wing.
Complex plan and development. Originally three-room-and-through-passage with hall stack backing onto passage; at some stage the passage and lower end was demolished. Circa late 17th century unheated wing added at front of inner room. Probably 18th century wing added at rear of hall and the house turned around so that this became the front. 19th century extension beyond this wing and the single storey outbuilding which was attached to its far side incorporated in late 20th century into accommodation. Two storeys. The present asymmetrical two-window front consists of the 18th century wing with the lower end of the hall to the left. 19th century two-light casements with small panes. Early 20th century gabled porch at centre with windows and part-glazed door behind it and window to the right. On the ground floor the left-hand section incorporates the back of the hall stack, typically constructed of granite ashlar with chamfered plinth. The left-hand side of the house is the original front and is irregular with two 2-light 20th century casements on the ground floor and one above to the left, all with small panes. Wing projects from the left-hand side, has small 2-light late 19th/early 20th century casements on first floor and 19th century 12-pane sash on the ground floor to right of centre. 19th century extension is set back from right gable end and beyond it single storey outbuilding has been incorporated into the house. Interior contains some 17th century features. Hall fireplace has heavy timber lintel with rough chamfer, monolithic granite jamb to left end and oven in right-hand side with stone arched opening. ½-beam above fireplace with deep chamfer and bar and hollow step stops. Identical central cross beam. At upper end of hall is plank and muntin screen at present exposed only on the higher side where it is only roughly worked. Inner room has central longitudinal beam with narrow chamfer. Above the screen is stud partition, possibly contemporary. This house retains an unspoilt facade with traditional windows and may well have a Medieval roof.

Steinmetzer, M., 2014, Archaeological evaluation and monitoring at Coombe Court, Moretonhampstead (Report - Evaluation). SDV359923.

Trenching within the house uncovered the heavily robbed-out south and east walls of the Shippon in Trench 1, at a depth of 0.5 metres below present ground level. A continuation of the south wall was seen in Trench 2. No evidence of the east wall, cross-passage or floors was found. Trenches 3 and 4 showed that the earlier floors had been removed when the modern concrete floors were inserted, however, following the removal of th suspended concrete floor in the hall, three large granite slabs were uncovered immediately in front of the fireplace. These formed an earlier arrangement; although the rear of the fireplace had been patched up with granite rubble and some early 19th century bricks.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6215 - Coombe Court, Moretonhampstead (Ref: K831)
• EDV7149 - Evaluation and monitoring at Coombe Court, Moretonhampstead (Ref: OA1158)

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