Description

HOLNE MICHELCOMBE
SX 66 NE

3/186 Barn, originally Long-
House, approx 40 metres
west of Inglette's
- Farmhouse.

- II*

Barn, originally a longhouse. Circa early C16 with circa late C16 or early C17 altera-
tions and circa C18 roof. Granite rubble with corrugated iron roof with gabled ends.
Longhouse plan of hall, through passage and shippon. Loft at inner end of the hall
appears to be a late C16 or early C17 insertion and has never has a screen forming an
inner room below. Stone partition wall at lower end of hall, separating hall and shippon,
has blocked doorway with granite lintel. Inserted axial stack at lower end of hall backs
onto this partition wall and the partition doorway is now in the back of the fireplace.
Therefore there might have always been a wall at the lower end of the hall, but the stack
has been truncated at the inserted hall floor level and it is impossible to state whether
it was originally a full height or low wall that separated the shippon from the house.
South front: later loft doorway over through passage doorway at centre. Hall window
opening to left of doorway is splayed internally. Full height opening broken into upper,
left, end of south front. The higher gable end wall to west has 2 very small window slits
at lower level and one small slit at apex of gable. The latter is probably a smoke ven-
tilation for the open hearth fire; if so it is of exceptional interest. The lower east
gable end of shippon has 2 drain holes and 6 ventilation slits, one at apex, 2 below and
3 at lower level. At rear (north) of shippon square opening deeply splayed internally.
Later lean-to on front (south) of shippon. Continuous lean-to outshut on rear (north)
of whole range. Interior: loft floor at higher end of hall with axial beam, chamfered
with bar steps on lower side and moulded on higher side (ovolo moulded with 2 hollows and
bar steps). The joists are chamfered with bar steps. There are no mortice holes on
soffit of loft beam and therefore it is unlikely to have had a screen below. The reminder
of the hall ceiling seems to be a later insertion and has a square section axial beam
and chamfered joists with run-out steps. Inserted axial hall fireplace backing onto
lower end wall of hall has monolithic granite jambs, but lintel is missing. Blocked door-
way in back of fireplace with granite lintel. Doorway into lower end beside stack has
chamfered cranked timber lintel. There is no evidence for a partition between
passage and shippon. The Shippon has roughly hewn axial beams. It is possible that the
original drain survives beneath the litter on the shippon floor. Later roof trusses, the
principals with side-pegged lap-jointed collars and crossed apices. This building is a
remarkable survival of a longhouse and illustrates very clearly its interesting original
plan and later improvements.

Listing NGR: SX6958368961

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17533541

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)