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Summary

Barn and cider house, comprising long, rectangular rubble stone building, mostly on two floors, under slate roof. Waterwheel on south side driving threshing machine and apple mill.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY19NE/6/2
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 88740

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BARN (XVIII to XXI - 1701 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Williams, E. H. D., 1974, Poltimore Farmhouse, Farway, 215-6 (Article in Serial). SDV340656.

The farm is situated at the foot of an escarpment down which flows an ample supply of water to drive the waterwheel which operated various items of agricultural machinery and the cider apple mill. Other details: Fig. 1.

Department of Environment, 1988, Farway, 55 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV340659.

Barn and cider house approximately 4 metres south east of Poltimore Farmhouse. Barn, cider house and outbuildings. The main block is late 18th - early 19th century, the outbuildings are late 19th century. Local stone and flint rubble; slate roof.
Plan: the main block is built down a gentle hillslope and faces into the farm courtyard to the north-north-west, say north. Uphill at the left (east) end is a barn with a threshing machine which used to be worked by a waterwheel in the rear wall powered by a leat. To right is the cider house with apple loft over. The late 19th century extension is on the right (west) end and built at an angle to the main block and faces north-east. It is a lower block and contains a former bull pen, pony stable and gig shed with hayloft over.
Exterior: both these blocks contain an irregular arrangement of doorways and unglazed windows, all plain 19th century joinery. The large double doors to the barn are at the left end of the main block and raised above ground level to facilitate loading and unloading from carts. The main block roof is hipped to left and gable-ended to right and steps down from barn to cider house. The extension has a central hayloft loading hatch rising into the eaves with gable roof. The main roof here is gabled to right and hipped to left. Interior: contains plain 19th century carpentry detail. This barn, cider house and outbuildings along with the other farmbuildings form a good and attractive group of traditional farmbuildings associated with poltimore farmhouse, one of the oldest and best-preserved farmhouses in the area. Other details: LBS No. 88740.

Laithwaite, M., 1989, Devon Farmsteads. A Preliminary Survey, 11 (Report - Survey). SDV339847.

Watts, M., 1990, Poltimore Farm, Farway, Devon. Survey and Report on the Threshing/Farm Mill for English Heritage (Report - Survey). SDV340661.

The farm mill building comprises a long, rectangular rubble stone building, mostly on two floors, running east-west across the south end of the farmyard. The east end of the threshing barn roof is hipped and this roof and part of that to the cider house are slated. The lean-to roof at the west end of the cider house is clad with clay tiles. The west gable end of the threshing barn is glazed. The ground floor of the threshing barn contains the main water-powered driving machinery against the south wall and is at present in use as a woodworking workshop, with electrically-driven machines. At its downstream end a smaller space, currently used as a feed store. The window and door openings all have simple, vertically boarded shutters and doors, on substantial frames, some with plain mouldings. The waterwheel is overshot, 14 feet 7 inches overall diameter by 3 foot 3 .5 inches overall width. All the timberwork is of oak. The wheel carries the maker's name, 'J. Maunder' and the date, '1866', in two places, in an oval cast in relief on the outer shroud sections. The nave is also inscribed. Inside the barn, the drive is taken from a spur-geared pitwheel to a first layshaft, from which the main drives to the thresher and apple mill were taken and also to a second layshaft which drove a single pulley, the function of which is not known at present. There is no evidence to suggest a date earlier than 1866 for the installation - the date on the waterwheel. It is probably that the thresher was originally rope-driven. The thresher itself has been slightly altered and repaired. The apple mill and cider press are fairly typical of many such installations of this period and both are anonymous and undated. The press may be older. The importance of the farm mill at Poltimore lies in its completeness and its relatively good condition of repair. Notable features include the well built, dated waterwheel, the remarkably complete threshing machine, and the long drive to the apple mill. A prime candidate for sympathetic repair, the restoration of the water supply is already underway and putting the machinery and machines back to a workable state. It is not threatened by development at present.

Watts, M., 1991, Farm and Threshing Mill at Poltimore, Farway, Devon, 182-9 (Article in Serial). SDV340662.

Bodman, M., 1998, Water-Powered Sites in Devon, 2 (Report - non-specific). SDV305931.

Other details: No 12.

Bodman, M., 2003, Watermills and Other Water-Powered Sites in Devon, 15 (Report - Interim). SDV325576.

Advertisement in Exeter Flying Post for September 1860 describes Poltimore as 'A good sheep, dairy and corn farm', 'comprising a convenient Farmhouse, with all necessary Buldings, together with a Water-wheel and Machinery for Threshing and Grinding Corn'. Bodman suggests that the waterwheel may have been cast for Maunder by Bodley Brothers of Exeter. Their journals indicate that they undertook quite a lot of casting for him.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4341 - Survey of Devon Farmsteads
• EDV4393 - Survey of Poltimore Farm, Farway, Devon

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