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Summary

An 18th or early 19th century stable block.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1317290: STABLE BLOCK APPROXIMATELY 20 METRES EAST OF TORDOWN HOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS63SW/92/1
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STABLE (Built, XIX - 1801 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 1986, Swimbridge, 121 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV85764.

Stable block approx 20m east of Tordown House. Stable block. Early-mid C19. Snecked stone with ashlar dressings. Hipped slate roof. Tackroom to centre with stable range to each side and loft over.
Two storeys. Five window range. Upper storey windows infilled. Four 2-light windows to ground floors, 2 panes per light with 2-paned top-hinged overlight each side of basket-arched entrance with three doorways with plank doors to each wall of the recessed porch. All openings have stone voussoirs. Majority of stable fittings intact.

Wapshott, E. + Morris, B., 2021, Tordown House, Tordown, Swimbridge, North Devon. Historic Building Assessment (Report - Survey). SDV364549.

An historic building assessment of the Tordown House and associated outbuildings, including the stable block, was undertaken in December 2020. This is located on the other side of the lane to the house reached through a wide gateway leading onto small, cobbled yard. The building is aligned north-south, the north end forming part of the adjoining farmyard. The front (west) side faces the yard. At the southern end of the yard is a small, former carriage house.
The stable block is 18th or early 19th century in date. It is a one and a half storey stone-built structure under a hipped, slate roof. The west front has an arched central entrance with two windows either side. Above are five blind windows. Beneath the southernmost window on the ground floor is a large stone bearing the initials, ‘W. G.’, with a more crude, ‘T. L.’, beneath. These are not the initials of any known owners or lessees and were perhaps carved by stable boys or grooms. There are several tethering rings attached to the front wall for securing horses for mounting or grooming within the yard.
The central archway leads to a recessed, cobbled hallway which gives access to the three rooms on the ground floor. The walls of the three rooms are all plastered and painted white. The floors to the south and central rooms are of worn brick but the floor of the north room has either been covered or replaced in concrete. The southern room contains two large, panelled loose boxes with integral troughs and hayracks. In the centre of the front wall is an alcove with shelves for storing grooming brushes etc. The central room, to the rear of the entranceway, is a small tack room which still retains saddle trees and bridle hooks. It has a small fireplace in the east wall. The north room has been gutted to create an artist’s studio and is now open to the roof. Above the south and central rooms is a loft, the floor of which cuts across the blind windows. It was reached by a loading hatch in the south wall.
Despite the loss of the fixtures and fittings of the north room, the building, which is of striking but restrained Regency style, has high aesthetic value. It is possible that it was built for Revd John Russell, who was apparently a notable huntsman. The stables, therefore, also have potentially high historic value.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

Building, aligned broadly north-south, on the other side of the lane from Tordown House.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8957 - Historic building assessment at Tordown House, Swimbridge (Ref: 210521)

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