See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

Farmhouse of probable circa 1500 date, with early 17th century additions and 19th century extensions. An interesting late medieval house with good quality features from several periods.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1326550: HIGHER BRAUNDSWORTHY FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS40NW/49
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XV to XIX - 1401 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

National Monuments Record, SS40NW20 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV336026.

Higher Braundsworthy Farmhouse. Circa1500 with early 17th century additions and 19th century extensions.

Department of Environment, 1989, Black Torrington (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV336021.

Higher Braundsworthy Farmhouse
Farmhouse. Circa 1500 probably with circa early l7th century additions and 19th century extensions. Plastered rubble and cob walls. Gable-ended slate and concrete tile roofs. 3-rendered stacks - the 2 gable-end ones brick and a large rendered axial stack offset from the ridge.
Plan: 3-room-and-through-passage plan with the rear passage doorway blocked. Hall stack backs onto the passage, large inner room heated by gable end fireplace. Lower room probably has stack inserted in 18th century or 19th century with a further room beyond it.
Originally the house is likely to have had a 2-room and passage plan with an open hall to the left heated by a central hearth and a solid wall dividing it from thelower room which may have been 2-storey from the start. The inner room at the left end appears to be a circa early 17th century addition as a sizeable parlour and the small wing behind it probably contained a stair turret originally and is more likely to be mid 17th century dating perhaps from the time when the hall was floored over and its stack inserted. The room beyond the lower room formerly functioned as an outbuilding and was only recently converted. Adjoining the small rear stair wing is a 20th century small wing.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 3-window front. Early 19th century 16-pane sash on 1st floor to left of centre with 2 mid 20th century casements to its right of 2 and 3-lights. Below a 20th century French window to the left with small-paned light adjoining to its right and a 3-light mid 20th century casement beyond. To the right is a late 20th century tall 3-light leaded pane casement. Nineteenth century plank door to right of centre with chamfered wooden arch surviving above. Lower addition at right-hand end, formerly outbuilding and long late circa early 19th century barn projecting in wing from it.
Interior: is of considerable interest and belies the rather plain exterior. The inner room has fireplace with chamfered wooden lintel and unchamfered granite jambs. Three ceiling beams chamfered with hollow step-stops. The thick wall dividing it from the hall is wainscotted with 17th century panelling. Hall is relatively small and has ovolo-moulded ceiling beams with plain joists. Heavy wooden lintel to blocked fireplace. Eighteenth century wail cupboard with fielded 2-panel doors. A 17th century ovolo-moulded doorframe leads from the passage to the hall and a similarly-moulded lintel survives over the former back doorway. The door frame to the lower room has chamfered and stepped jambs and lintel. On the 1st floor is another 17th century chamfered doorframe. In the rear wing is a late 17th century 2-panel door fielded with bolection moulding around the edges. One of the main 1st floor rooms has had a large 13th century cupboard partly built into 1 wall.
Roof: the original trusses survive over the main range. At the lower end is a raised cruck with morticed cranked collar, threaded purlins, diagonal ridge with triangular strengthening block below. The truss is lightly smoke-blackened. A solid wall divides this section from the hall which is smoke-blackened on the hall side. The hall has 2 trusses of very large scantling and heavily smoke-blackened.
The lower side are which has been cut off by the hall stack is a raised cruck the central one is a face-pegged jointed cruck. Similar construction to the lower end truss but the ridge has been removed. A few original rafters survive. The wall at the higher end is smoke-blackened on the hall side, clean on the other. Over the inner room is a cruck with sharply angled elbow, of lighter scantling than over the nall and not smoke-blackened.
This is an interesting late medieval house which gives fairly clear evidence of its original plan and pattern of development and preserves good quality features from several periods little altered internally by 20th century modernisation. Other details: LBS number 91562.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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