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Summary

A farmhouse with 17th century origins.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1333674: MOUNTSTEPHENS FARMHOUSE INCLUDING OUTBUILDINGS ADJOINING TO NORTH-WEST
• SHINE: Traditional farm buildings, including Threshing Barn and Cider House/Dairy, within curtilege of Listed Farmhouse (Grade II) and earthworks of former Catch (water) meadow at Mountstephens Farm

Other References/Statuses

• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HOUSE (Unknown date)
• FARMHOUSE (XVI to XIX - 1600 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

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

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

L plan house, gable ended to right and hipped to left, with 17th century origins, but rebuilt in mid to late 18th century. Front block built in 19th century, extensive modernisation in 1987. Chert; Rubble stone walls. Front elevation unrendered. Chimneystacks are rubble stone. Artificial slate roof. Formerly thatched.

Thorp, J., 2002, Mountstephen's Farm, BH041002 (Ground Photograph). SDV351475.

Thorp, J., 2002, Mountstephen's Farm, BH041012, BH041021-BH041022 (Un-published). SDV351476.

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

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

Mountstephens Farmhouse including - outbuildings adjoining to north-west.

17th century, origins, enlarged and much rebuilt in the mid - late 18th century, 19th century front block and rear outbuildings, modernised in 1987. Local stone and flint rubble, the front is plastered with sections lightly incised as ashlar; stone rubble stacks with stone rubble chimneyshafts; concrete tile roof (formerly thatch). Plan and development: the house has an L-plan. The main block faces south-west and it has a 3-room-and-through-passage plan but not the late medieval model. At the right (north-east) end there is a parlour with a gable-end stack with a winder stair alongside. The other side of the passage is the dining room and this has been enlarged by removing the passage partition this side. This dining room has a large axial stack backing onto the kitchen at the left (south-west) end which has a projecting rear lateral stack. An unheated 1-room plan service wing (now used as the kitchen) projects at right angles in front of the former kitchen. Although much of the 17th century house was rebuilt in the 19th century it seems that the original house had a 2-room plan and occupied the parlour and dining room. In the 17th century the dining room was the kitchen. In the 18th century a new kitchen was built and in the 19th century the service wing was added. House is 2 storeys. Exterior: the main block has a symmetrical 3-window front of 19th century and 20th century casements, the latest are iron-framed and without glazing bars. These are arranged around the former passage front doorway which contains 20th century double doors behind a contemporary glass-walled porch. The main roof is gable-ended to right and hipped to left. The gable-end of the service wing contains an introduced 19th century French window. The rear of the main block includes older windows and one of these contains rectangular panes of leaded glass. The former passage rear doorway has a 19th century porch with cusped bargeboards and contains a 6-panel door. Interior: the right end room, the parlour, has a stone fireplace with reused chamfered oak lintel and alongside is an 18th century cupboard with fieled panel doors on H-L hinges. The central dining room has a large fireplace from the 17th century kitchen, it is stone with a plain oak lintel and the back shows the blocked openings of a disused oven, curing chamber and ash pit. The left end room, the 18th century kitchen, has a stone fireplace with chamfered oak lintel and there is a large oven housing and remains of a walk-in curing chamber projecting to rear. This room has a 17th century chamfered and step-stopped crossbeam, presumably it is reused. The roof over the main block is 18th century but employs unusually sophisticated carpentry for the time; it is carried on tie beam trusses with pegged and spiked lap-jointed collars, staggered butt purlins with tusk tenons and includes carpenters assembly marks. The service wing has plain 19th century carpentry. A 19th century gable-ended dairy with cheese loft over is connected to the back of the kitchen by a single storey outshot. The cheeseloft is gained by an external flight of stone steps in the rear end wall.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4655 - Survey of Farmsteads in the Blackdown Hills

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