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Summary

Farmhouse, a Dartmoor longhouse type. Early 16th century with major later 16th, 17th and early 18th century improvements, the latest probably associated with a date of 1715.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1170877: LOWER SESSLAND FARMHOUSE INCLUDING COB WALLS ADJOINING TO NORTH WEST AND SOUTH WEST

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX69NE/19
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 94996

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XVI to XVIII - 1501 AD to 1800 AD (Between))

Full description

Lega-Weekes, E., 1902, Neighbours of North Wyke: Part 2: Notes on Some Old Houses of Itton, 647 (Article in Serial). SDV336451.

Sessland, in the Manor of Itton. The more modern part had been a gentleman's dwelling, the older building, at right angles to it (now used as a pound house), a workman's cottage. Kitchen fire-place in older building, of granite, square headed, not wide, and axe-dressed oak partitions, similar to examples at North Wyke. Stone corbels in one of the lower rooms projecting from the wall had carried upper flooring. One large apartment had an upper floor over only half its length, as if solar of hall.

Department of Environment, 1988, South Tawton, 147-8 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV336452.

English Heritage, 2006, Buildings at Risk: The Register 2006, 71 (Report - non-specific). SDV336311.

Lower Sessland farm including the adjoining cob walls was considered in 2006 to be in immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric with no solution agreed.

English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West, 118 (Report - non-specific). SDV342694.

Late medieval thatched farmhouse with later additions including 17th century hall bay and parlour wing. Further 17th century addition to north-west has been used as a separate cottage and is now vacant and in very poor condition with severe water penetration and decay of thatch and roof timbers. Temporary protection was erected in 2006 following an Urgent Works Notice, but further repairs are necessary. Other details: Photograph.

English Heritage, 2009, South Tawton (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV342739.

Listed 22/02/1967. Farmhouse, a Dartmoor longhouse type. Early 16th century with major later 16th, 17th and early 18th century improvements, the latest probably associated with a date of 1715. Plastered cob on stone rubble footings, some large blocks of granite ashlar shows to rear; local stone rubble stacks and chimneyshafts; thatch roof, a lot replaced with corrugated iron.
Plan and development: T-shaped plan. The main block faces south-west and is built down the hillslope. It has a 5-room-and-through-passage longhouse-type plan. The 2 rooms uphill at the left (north-western) end are now used as a separate cottage. There is an axial stack between the 2 rooms and another axial stack backs onto the former inner room. This inner room (above the hall) is small and unheated, probably a former dairy. The hall has a large axial stack backing onto the passage and a full height projecting window bay to rear. Also a winder stair to the passage chamber at the front lower end of the hall. Shippon with hayloft over on lower side of passage. Parlour block with projecting gable-end stack projects forward at right angles to front of hall. To rear of the hall, immediately left of the hall bay, there is an open-sided pumphouse with a chamber over. It looks like (and was probably intended to look like) a 2-storey porch but the passage rear doorway is left of it. This is a very interesting farmhouse with a long and complex structural history. The late medieval core was a 3-room-and-through-passage plan longhouse. This house was open to the roof, divided by low partitions and heated by an open hearth fire. The inner room was probably floored over in the mid 16th century. The hall fireplace was inserted with the passage chamber in the late 16th century. The hall was floored over in the mid 17th century with the building of the hall window bay. The pumphouse and parlour wing are also probably mid 17th century, the latter containing the main stair. The parlour was the main focus of an early 18th century refurbishment. The shippon was refurbished in the mid 17th century. The 2-room cottage at the upper end was not available for inspection at the time of this survey but it too is thought to be 17th century and is said to contain the former kitchen. House is 2 storeys.
Exterior: irregular 3-window front to left of the parlour block, all 19th and 20th century casements with glazing bars. Passage front doorway immediately left of the parlour contains a 19th century door behind a 20th century porch. The roof is gable-ended. The rear elevation is the more interesting. Here what survives of the 19th century plaster is incised as ashlar and some of the windows retain parts of their 17th century oak frames. The hall bay is gabled; so too is the pumphouse, the upper room of which is supported on roughly-squared monolithic granite posts. The pumphouse chamber shelters the well and there is a trough and lead pump there. The trough is a 20th century replacement although the original granite one lies nearby. The shippon cow door is left of the passage rear doorway and it contains a late 16th-early 17th century oak frame with segmental head and chamfered surround. Hayloft loading hatch directly above. Shippon contains a series of tiny windows on each side most of them now blocked but some still with 16th or 17th century oak frames. Two windows to shippon in end wall, the larger one is the dung hatch. Drain is still in operation.
Good interior: hall has large granite ashlar fireplace with hollow-chamfered surround. The mid 17th century axial beam is soffit-chamfered with scroll-bar-scroll stops. Dairy has a plain axial beam of indeterminate date. The parlour is particularly good. The mid 17th century crossbeam has plain soffit chamfers. Contemporary stair rises along wall of main block dividing at the top to the chambers over the hall and parlour. Closed string stair with square newel posts and ball caps, moulded flat handrail and turned balusters. Early 18th century chimneypiece with bolection surround and panelled chimneybreast. Alongside to right a full height cupboard with panelled doors and dentil cornice. Two other contemporary cupboards in the same room. Several 2-panel doors around the house of same date and, like the cupboard doors, hung on H-hinges. It may be that the parlour is wholly early 18th century but the 2-bay roof A-frame has a pegged lap-jointed collar with dovetail halvings which must be mid 17th century. The oak doorframe to the pumphouse chamber has a narrow ovolo-moulded surround with ramshead stops and contains a plank door with 2 applied panels; it is complete with all its fittings including the wooden handle. The gable end truss of the pumphouse chamber is a most unusual jointed cruck with the tongue of each cruck post extending far up the principals and halved into them. Roof of main block is carried on original side-pegged jointed crucks with cambered collars. All the roof structure including the purlins, common rafters and the thatch where it survives is heavily smoke-blackened. The cottage was not available for inspection but, if the main house is anything to go by, probably contains much 17th century carpentry and other detail. The shippon is still used although the doorway through from the passage is now blocked. It has a cobbled floor with granite kerbs to the central drain and some granite slabs with holes for the tethering posts. The roof has been much mended, but essentially is still made up of mid 17th century A-frame trusses with dovetail-shaped pegged lap-jointed collars. From the front of the shippon a high cob wall with tile coping projects forward and returns a short distance along the front of the garden. Another similar extends north-westwards from the left end but the section between these two has been rebuilt in the 20th century. There is, in the RAM Museum Exeter, a wrought iron door knocker inscribed with the date 1715 and the initials of William and Mary Oxenham from this farmhouse. It may date the early 18th century modernisation of the house. Lower Sessland is very important multi-phase Devon farmhouse. It is both attractive and well-preserved containing high quality work from all the major building phases. It is also remarkable for having a well-preserved shippon still in use. Also the 17th century pumphouse is a most unusual feature. Other details: LBS 94996.

English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West, 111 (Report - non-specific). SDV344777.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 116 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Seventeenth century addition to north-west has been used as a separate cottage and is now vacant and in very poor condition with severe water penetration and decay of thatch and roof timbers. Temporary protection was erected in 2006 following an Urgent Works Notice. Owner negotiating over repairs. Priority A (Immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric; no solution agreed).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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