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Summary

Farmhouse of probable 16th century or earlier origin, the lower end demolished, extended at higher end and remodelled in 17th century.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1108313: LOWER BEARSCOMBE FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX75SE/89
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 101133

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (Early Medieval to XXI - 1066 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV160070.

Des=os 25" (1886) map.

Child, P., 2003, Bearscombe Farmhouse (Correspondence). SDV346771.

The plan form, as it now is, is peculiar for a Devon farmhouse. The List description thries to fit it into the standard plan of three-room-cross-passage by hypothesising a "missing" part of the houuse. This interpretation is dependent on assuming that the upper section (the present kitchen) is an addition to the original house, whereas the evidence of the ivy may indicate the opposite. If another explanation can be found for the ivy, then it is qute a good hypothesis, as the arrangement of fireplaces and the location of the staircase fit in well with it. Archaeological excavation of the area below the house might indicate whether or not it did formerly extend further in that direction.
The construction of a large two-storey porch entering directly into a relatively small room (or possibly even into a lobby if the partition which is now gone was coeval with the porch), is most peculiar.

English Heritage, 2011, Historic Houses Register (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV346128.

Lower Bearscombe Farmhouse.
Farmhouse. Probably 16th century or earlier, the lower end demolished, extended at higher end and remodelled in 17th century. Slate rubble with roughcast front and slate hung right hand south gable end. Large rendered stone rubble chimney stacks; the gable end stack to right was originally an axial stack and the axial stack to the left was originally a gable end stack; both heightened with brick shafts.
Plan: 3-room and through passage plan originally, the lower end to the left has been demolished together with the cross or through passage. The hall, possibly originally open to the roof has a stack at its lower end backing onto the former passage and the relatively large former inner roof has a stack at the higher end. In the 17th century the lower right end including the passage was demolished and a 1-room plan addition built at the higher right end containing the kitchen using the former inner room stack by inserting a fireplace with an oven on the kitchen side. The former inner room now the central room, was divided by an axial partition (since removed) forming a small unheated room at the back and an axial passage at the front linking the kitchen at the left end with the former hall at the right end and a doorway inserted at the front of the passage with 2-storey porch formed the new entrance to the 17th century house. he newel stairs in a projecting turret at the front of the lower end of the hall may have been part of the 17th century remodelling as the hall is likely to have been originally open to the roof.
Exterior: storeys asymmetrical 3 window range with a rectangular stair turret at the right end of the front. Gabled 2-storey porch to left of centre, its first floor walls slightly corbelled out, a small first floor 2-light casement with a slate hoodmould a wide square-headed doorway,
wooden benches inside and a blocked slit window on the right hand side; a 20th century glazed plank inner door. Ground floor small 19th century 2-light casement to hall to right and a 19th century 3-light casement to the left, both with glazing bars and slate hood moulds. Above the left hand window a 20th century gabled hall dormer. All the windows have slate sills.
At the back various 19th century and 20th century 12 and 3-light casement sin original small openings, a blocked doorway to left into former hall and a doorway to right now within a later outbuilding to the left at the rear a small single storey outshut with a slit window on the lower left side.
Interior: Stone newel stairs in a turret at the front lower end of the hall. The fireplace at the lower end of the hall has dressed slate jambs but the lintel has been removed. The hall ceiling is plastered. There is a short section of plank and muntin screen between the hall and former inner room; it is exposed on the inner room side only where the muntins are roughly chamfered. The central room (former inner room) has thin roughly chamfered joists with straight cut stops. The fireplace at the higher end of the former inner room is blocked but the chamfered timber lintel is exposed. The left hand room in the 17th century addition has a roughly chamfered cross-beam and half-beam with run-out stops. The fireplace in this room makes use of the former inner room (central room) stack and has a blocked over brick the lintel has been replaced with a brick arch probably in 19th century.
There is also in this room an early 19th century cupboard with panelled doors. There is one probably 17th century plank door on the first floor between the hall and inner room chambers.
Roof: Access to the roof space is very restricted. The roof seem to have been mostly replaced in 20th century with soft wood trusses but a rafter of the old roof remains and appears to be smoke-blackened. The roof structure over the 2-storey porch can be seen from the chamber over the porch; it has its original trusses the principals with straight feet have threaded or deeply trenched purlins.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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