| Summary: | Farmhouse. Early to mid C18 remodelling of probably an earlier house. Rendered stone rubble walls exposed to rear wing. Hipped bitumized slate roof. Rendered slightly projecting stack with brick shaft at each end of front range. Rendered brick axial stack to rear parallel range. 2 axial stacks to rear range of squared rubble with dripcourses - probably C17.
Plan: basically L-shaped plan with front range of 2 large rooms flanking a stairhall, short parallel range behind left-hand end and longer wing behind right-hand end of 2 room plan with columbarium (dovecote) at the end of it. This wing appears to pre-date the front range which is of a more formal and imposing C18 style. The parallel range behind the left-hand room is a large kitchen likely to have been added in the C19.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Symmetrical 5-window front of early C19 12-pane sashes on the 1st floor, taller ones below to the right. To the left on the ground floor is a blocked window opening with an inserted late C20 casement to its left. Central C20 lean-to porch with part-glazed door in right-hand side. The rear wing is slightly set back from the right-hand end and has asymmetrical 4-window outer face. To the left on each floor is a late C19 or early C20 casement of 2 and 3 lights and a 2-light casement to the right on the ground floor. Otherwise probably C18 12-pane hornless sashes set flush to the outside wall. Wooden lintels apart from brick arch over the ground floor left-hand window. Small lean-to in angle with front block and hipped roof porch to left of centre with early C20 plank door in left-hand side.
Rear parallel range projects from left end of front block. At the end of the rear wing, returning slightly to the left-hand side with brick columbarium on the lst floor and pigeon-holes on the rear and side walls. Between the rear wing and parallel range is a small hipped roof over the staircase.
Interior: the front range has fairly complete original joinery. The left-hand room is panelled with sunken panels and with eared architraves to the window openings and a tall round-headed arch at the rear with pediment over. The doorway also has an eared architrave with dentilled cornice. The right-hand room has chair rail and probably obscured panelled dado with large dentilled cornice above. C18 chimneypiece with projecting central plaque and egg and dart cornice. Original open string staircase with carved tread ends and turned and moulded balusters. The rear room in the wing has complete early C18 fielded panelling, chair rail, shutters and chimneypiece with moulded cornice.
Berry was occupied during the C18 by the Wolferstan family who are recorded as being gentry in a memorial to Nicolas Wolferston 1695 - 1763 in Hartland Church. An illustration of Hartland Abbey in 1767 shows Berry in the distance apparently of similar appearance to the present day.
This is an unusual, and unaltered, survival in North Devon of an C18 house of considerable quality. |
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