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Summary

Early to mid 17th century farmhouse with barn and stable.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1168169: LOWER WARD FARMHOUSE AND FARMBUILDINGS ADJOINING TO EAST

Other References/Statuses

• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 91888

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XVII - 1601 AD to 1660 AD (Between))

Full description

English Heritage, 2009, Historic Houses Register (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV343599.

Lower Ward Farmhouse and farmbuildings adjoining to east.
Farmhouse and adjoining farmbuildings. Early to mid 17th century with late 17-/early 18th century alterations and additions, and further altered probably in the late 19th- and early 20th century. Undergoing alteration at time of survey (November 1987). Cob with stone dressings, on roughly squared and coursed stone plinth. Partly rebuilt in 19th century stone rubble and late 20th century concrete blockwork. Gable-ended Welsh-slate roof, probably formerly thatched. Stone stacks with dressed quoins, right-hand one with 17th- or 18th century red-brick shaft. Farmbuildings of cob and uncoursed stone rubble with Welsh-slate roof.
Plan and development: 17th century three-room and through-passage plan, facing south. Ground falls to left. Hall with external lateral stack to rear and through passage to right, right-hand room with external lateral stack to rear (later addition - see straight joints), and unheated room to left. Formerly with stair tower to rear of left-hand end of hall (in angle of stack), lean-to outshut at rear of left-hand end and lean-to outshut at rear of through passage, all since demolished. The outshuts were probably later additions. Further later alterations included the insertion of a staircase in the hall to the right of the fireplace (with foot in passage), since removed, and the lateral division of the left-hand room (partition also now removed). Eaves raised, probably in the 18th- or 19th century, and eaves of both house and attached buildings further slightly raised probably when they were re-roofed in the early 20th century (see line of later cob below eaves). Left-hand gable end of house rebuilt, probably in the late 19th century. Probably late 19th century one-storey square bay to front of hall. Late 20th century alterations include the insertion of a front doorway (French casement) in the left-hand end of the hall and the addition of a wing at the rear of the left-hand end (under construction at time of survey). Former small barn, added probably 17th century, adjoining right-hand rear corner at right angles, with gable end and one-storey lean-to outshut to front. Two-storey house with one-storey outshuts.
Exterior: 4 windows to first floor, late 19th-/early 20th century two-light wooden casements. Ground-floor 19th century three-light wooden casement to right, projecting square bay to hall (windowless at time of survey) and 20th century French casement to left (replacing former
window). Passage doorway off-centre to right with beaded softwood frame in front of 17th century oak frame, wooden lintel and stone reveals. Left-hand gable end has late 19th century three-light wooden casement with wooden lintel. Tapered stack to rear of hall with
offset and projecting semi-circular bread oven and stack to rear of right-hand room with weatherings, offsets to brick shaft, and late 20th century buttress to front. Rear passage-doorway has old boarded door with strap hinges, pegged chamfered wooden frame, wooden lintel and stone reveals. Small early to mid-17th century chamfered-mullioned first-floor 2-light wooden window above rear doorway, with diamond-section wrought-iron stanchions and wooden lintel. Boarded loft door to left with brick dressings. Barn to rear has pair of large boarded doors to side, with blocked doorway to right (see straight joints and wooden lintel). Boarded loft door in gable-end to rear with pegged wooden frame. Lean-to outshut to front gable-end of barn has late 17th-/early 18th century three-light flat-faced mullioned wooden window, and boarded door with strap hinges to right-hand side.
Interior: Hall has 17th century chamfered cross beam with straight-cut stops. Seventeenth century open fireplace to rear with wooden lintel, jambs brought forward in the late 20th century, and bread oven with 19th century cast-iron door set in earlier arch. Remains of early to mid-17th century plank and muntin screen to right (between hall and passage) with head beam and one remaining chamfered muntin with mason's mitred mortice and tenon joint. The surviving muntin was probably the right-hand jamb of a doorway (see chamfered head
beam to its left and rebate for former plank in to right-hand side). Mortices for former muntins visible on underside of head beam. Window seat in hall bay. Left-hand ground-floor room with rough-hewn cross beam, formerly head of stud partitions. Right-hand ground-floor room has blocked fireplace to rear with wooden lintel, and window seat. Seventeenth century roof has trusses with principal rafters and collars, all below early 20th century roof. Three early to mid-17th century ovolo-moulded oak door frames with mitred-ovolo pegged joints, one in doorway between passage and right-hand ground-floor room and 2 from the former rear staircase (all ex situ at time of survey). The late 20th century French casement to the left of the hall bay replaced a late 17th-/early 18th century three-light flat-faced mullioned wooden window with wrought-iron diamond-section stanchions (window still in existence at time of survey).
The house forms part of a farmstead group which also includes a barn and stable.

Orrell, S., 2012, Statement of Significance: Lower Ward Farm, Yarnscombe, Devon (Report - non-specific). SDV355590.

Lower Ward farmhouse and barn retains the internal layout of a three room open hall, with a cross passage that served the hall and lower room. The interiors and exteriors were altered over the centuries forming liveable dwellings to suit the periods. They are of high value for their external architecture and the contribution the buildings make to the Devon countryside.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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