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Summary

A four room and through passage plan farmhouse.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1147672: LOWER SHELVIN FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (XV to XIX - 1490 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Clements, H. A., 1994, Survey of Farmsteads in the Devon Part of the Blackdown Hills (Report - Survey). SDV344050.

Devon and Somerset County Councils, 2000-2002, Historic Farmsteads Database, BH037H (Machine readable data file). SDV349681.

A 4 room and through passage plan house, which is late 15th century - early 16th century in origin with 16th century – 17th century improvements and alterations. The service end was rebuilt in the late 19th century. Chert, brick dressings; Rendered walls. Slate roof.

Thorp, J., 2002, Lower Shelvin Farm, BH037017 (Ground Photograph). SDV351342.

Thorp, J., 2002, Lower Shelvin Farm, BH037023-BH037025 (Un-published). SDV351343.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

Lower Shelvin Farmhouse.

Probably late 15th century - early 16th century with major later 16th century and 17th century improvements, renovated in the late 19th century at which time the service/kitchen end was rebuilt. The older part is plastered local stone and flint rubble, the late 19th century section is exposed stone rubble with brick dressings; stone rubble stacks topped with 19th century and 20th century brick; slate roof, the older part was formerly thatch. Plan and development: 4-room-and-through-passage plan house facing south-east. The service end is at the left (south-west) end and contains a kitchen with an axial stack backing onto a small unheated dairy at the end. The other side of the passage is the hall and it has an axial stack backing onto the passage. A stair turret projects to rear of the hall. At the right (north-east) end is a former parlour (now a workshop) with a gable-end stack. The service end kitchen and dairy was completely rebuilt in the late 19th century but the rest is well-preserved. The roof was not available for inspection at the time of this survey although the owner claims that it is smoke-blackened proving that the hall at least was open to the roof and heated by an open hearth fire. The hall stack was probably inserted in the mid-late 16th century. The parlour was refurbished or added in the early 17th century. The parlour and hall were once separated by a buttery or cellar but the partition between hall and buttery/cellar has been removed to enlarge the hall. The hall was floored over in the mid-17th century. 2 storeys. Exterior: irregular 5-window front of late 19th century and 20th century casements with glazing bars and including, ground floor right end (to the former parlour), an early 17th century Beerstone 4-light windows with ovolo-moulded mullions and hoodmould. The passage front doorway is left of centre and contains a late 19th century door behind a contemporary gabled porch. The main roof is gable-ended and steps down from the kitchen to the passage sections. Interior: the service end, below the passage and containing the kitchen and dairy, is a complete late 19th century rebuild. The hall fireplace is blocked but is probably intact. The crossbeams here are mid-17th century, chamfered with bar run-out stops, in the hall section proper whilst half beams in the former buttery/cellar are chamfered with roll stops. The stair to rear of the hall is mid-17th century. It is a straight flight with turned oak balusters. In the former parlour the crossbeams are plastered over. Here there is a good Beerstone ashlar fireplace with Tudor arch head, moulded surround and carved fern-like spandrels. The roof was not available for inspection at the time of this survey but the farmer's description suggests that the original roof structure survives and that it is some form of cruck construction maybe with arch braces and windbraces. It is also said to be smoke-blackened from the original open hearth fire. Lower Shelvin is an interesting multi-phase farmhouse with consistently high quality features. A full internal examination, including the roof, will probably throw more light on the early historic development of the farmhouse.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4655 - Survey of Farmsteads in the Blackdown Hills

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