See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

House, formerly likely to have been the vicarage or priests house. Dates to the early-mid 16th century with 17th century alterations and 20th century additions. Despite a number of additions this house preserves several interesting features and forms a good group in the centre of the village with the Church and village cross.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1305691: THE OLD VICARAGE

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE33
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438595
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/43
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 92847

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHURCH HOUSE (Constructed, XV to XVI - 1500 AD (Between) to 1550 AD (Between))
• VICARAGE (Constructed, XV to XVI - 1500 AD (Between) to 1550 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

Depicted on the Tithe Map.

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

Marked as 'Priest's House' on the late 19th century historic map.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

(SX 55986763) Priest's house (NR).

Copeland, G. W., 1943, Twelfth Report of the Plymouth and District Branch, 96 (Article in Serial). SDV337004.

Now called The Old Vicarage. It has on the front a stone bearing the date 1658, but there is evidence that the main structure is much older. There is a good circular staircase which is lighted at the rear by a small window. The upper wall is pierced by a round opening which gives a view of the west doorway of the church.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1980, SX56NE33, 1950/1980 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV217111.

(08/09/1950). Priest's House. House standing. Inscription on west face of house reads "16 8", probably 1608. House has been restored and has recent additions.
Name now changed to "The Old Vicarage" (01/09/1952).
(03/09/1980) A two storey building with a slate roof, a plastered front and stacks, a modern extension. Externally only two mullioned windows, an original doorway and the 1658 datestone indicate its early date.
Correctly portrayed at 1:2500 on MSD.

Department of Environment, 1960, Tavistock RD, 21 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV239444.

Plastered rubble with slate roof and plastered stacks. Two storey building with stone mullioned windows and casements granite doorway with four centred head dated 1658 but obviously older.

Waterhouse, R. E., 1991, The Church Houses of South Devon: an archaeological survey, 78-79 (Report - Survey). SDV7736.

The Church House is situated attached to the lychgate on the west side of churchyard. Small rendered and whitewashed building, running north/south. Wing on rear accommodating spiral stair with square chamfered window. Two chimneys, both on gables. That on south is larger, and could be the kitchen stack. Extension to south with third gable stack. Datestone of 1658 on front of main block could refer to construction of this. Probably constructed of granite rubble, at present hidden beneath render.
Architectural features: corbels on bases of gable of spiral stair, presumably for supporting coping stones. Another corbel on north gable, lower down. West front has two granite mullioned windows, one in the southern extension with a gothic granite headed door below.

Tingle, M., 2013, Interim report of an archaeological monitoring and recording at, The Old Vicarage, Sheepstor, Devon (Report - Watching Brief). SDV359924.

No archaeological features were observed during the watching brief for the kitchen extension. The only finds bserved in the topsoil were post-medieval sherds dating from the nineteenth and twentieth century.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Modern mapping names the building as 'The Old Vicarage'.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, Accessed 29/11/2016 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

SHEEPSTOR SHEEPSTOR SX 56 NE 18/115 The Old Vicarage (formerly listed as Old Priest's House) 21.3.67 GV II
House, formerly likely to have been the vicarage or priests house. Circa early-mid C16 with C17 alterations and C20 additions. Rendered rubble walls. Slate roof gabled to left end and hipped to right. 2 rendered stacks - one at left end and one axial.
Plan: 3-room-and-through-passage plan with lower end to the right. Hall stack backs onto the passage but this stack may date from a C17 re-modelling, when the newel stairs were added in a projection at the rear of the hall probably marked by the date-stone of 1658. Lean-to additions were made at the rear and the front of the higher end in the C20.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 3-window front mainly of C20 casements, the 1st floor windows are gabled dormers. To left of centre is circa late C16 or early C17 3-light granite mullion window with hollow chamfer. To right of centre is 4-centred granite arched doorway, hollow-chamfered which is probably original. 2-light granite mullion window above it. To left of this is a date-stone of 1658. C20 lean-to addition in front of left end and lean-to garage built against right end wall, formerly stable. At the rear to right of centre is a large gabled stair projection with granite framed light, in the right-hand wall is a very tiny circular spy-hole looking onto the churchyard. Outshuts to its left and right and a single storey C20 wing at the left-hand end.
Interior: The hall has a granite framed fireplace with chamfered lintel (which is straight) and jambs. In the wall to the rear of the fireplace, no longer an outside wall due to the addition of an outshut, is a single light granite framed window which has a segmental arched head and recessed spandrels on the outside - this is probably the only surviving original window. At the rear of the hall there is a 4- centred granite doorway leading to the stone newel stairs. Adjoining this doorway is an unusual feature: a stone-lined recess with raised floor occupying the space underneath the stairs and with an arched opening - the purpose of which was presumably food storage. At the head of the stairs are 2 adjoining granite doorway in an integral arrangement sharing a jamb, one, however has a segmental head whereas the other is 4-centred. Another 4-centred granite doorway leads from the hall to the inner room.
Despite a number of C20 additions this house preserves several interesting features and forms a good group in the centre of the village with the Church and village cross.
Listing NGR: SX5597967640.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7150 - Watching brief at The Old Vicarage, Sheepstor (Ref: OVS13)
• EDV2973 - The Church Houses of South Devon: an archaeological survey

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.