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Summary

Farmhouse, the nucleus of which may be late 15th or early 16th century. Extensive remodelling in the late 17th or early 18th century may have destroyed or obscure earlier fabric.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1171060: LOWER WOTTON FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX79NE/56
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XV to Post Medieval - 1401 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Department of Environment, 1986, Colebrooke, 48 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV344581.

Farmhouse. Late 17th century with 19th century alterations and extension. Plastered cob on rubble footings; stone rubble or cob stacks with plastered brick chimney shafts; thatch roof. Main block faces south-east with rear blocks projecting at right angles from each end, that to right (north-east) added in 19th century as an agricultural store. Originally front block had 3-room plan and central room heated by rear lateral stack. In 19th century front lateral stack inserted to small left end room and in 20th century central and left room knocked together. Left (south-west) rear block is original kitchen block with end stack and stairs are 19th century replacement of originals.Two storeys. Balanced 2-window front with 20th century casement with glazing bars on ground floor and 19th century casements with glazing bars on first floor. Twentieth century plank door with contemporary gabled and thatch-roofed porch to right. Roof is hipped each end. Kitchen wing has slightly lower roof, is gable-ended, and includes a half dormer casement window. Nineteenth century addition also gable-ended and includes original unglazed windows with internal shutters. The end wall has ground floor door and external stops to first floor loading hatch.
Interior: early features are mostly hidden by 19th and 20th century plaster. However main front room has original plain chamfered crossbeam and oak lintel of fireplace is exposed with soffit chamfer and worn but apparently stepped lozenge stops. To left part of original framed partition is exposed and includes a late 17th century. Seventeenth-early 18th century bead-moulded doorframe. In kitchen the cross-beam is boxed in and large rubble fireplace with plain oak lintel has been much rebuilt. Roof of main block inaccessible and only feet of one principal exposed in kitchen wing. It is lap-jointed onto a post originally buried in the cob wall. Nineteenth century agricultural wing has king post truss roof.

Parker, R. W., 2004, Archaeological Survey of Lower Wotton Farmhouse, Colebrooke, Devon (Report - Survey). SDV344580.

The farmhouse lies on the eastern side of the farmyard, and consists of three ranges extending around the west, south and east sides of a very narrow court or passage. This was created by the addition of an east range to a formerly L-shaped house in the 19th century. The nucleus of the house appears to be the south range, where despite substantial later rebuilding, some early features remain. The south elevation appears to have been the principal façade from at least the 19th century, overlooking sloping gardens away from the yard. The earliest features visible in the house are the fireplace in the main ground-floor room of the front range, and the simple champfered beam crossing the ceiling, which suggest a possible date in the late 15th or early 16th century. The ground floor room in the west range is one of the finest rooms in the house, with the ceiling supported by two massive ovolo-moulded beams with step and hollow stops, which suggests a late 16th or early 17th century date. In the north wall is a large fireplace and bread oven (access blocked), indicating that it served as a kitchen, possibly to remove cooking and other domestic activities from the rooms in the main range. The roof of the west range appears to be the earliest to survive, and may date from the early 17th century, whereas that of the south range is unlikely to be earlier than the late 17th or early 18th century. This was a time of extensive remodelling of the south range, which almost entirely destroyed or obscured the medieval or early post-medieval fabric. The ground floor of the east range is a single room, converted from an agricultural building after 1986, the shutters mentioned in the listing description have been removed and the windows glazed. Other details: Plates 1-6.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4691 - Archaeological Survey of Lower Wotton Farmhouse, Colebrooke, Devon

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