Description

MANATON
SX 77 NW
6/22 Great Houndtor Farmhouse.
-
23.8.55 II*
GV

Farmhouse. Probably early C17 (replacing earlier house in farmyard), underwent
considerable modernisation in the mid C18, changing room use but leaving the basic
plan intact. C18/early C19 outshuts added at rear. Granite rubble walls with
larger quoins. 3 granite rubble chimneys, 2 projecting gable and 1 axial, all have
drip-courses and shallow granite capping stones. Thatched roof, gabled at either
end.
Three room and through passage plan with hall fireplace backing onto passage and
original heated inner room and lower room. Considerably modernised in C18 when
lower room turned into parlour and dairy probably added as outshut behind hall.
General refurbishment of house at this time included much good quality woodwork in
the form of doors, shutters, window seats, cupboards and a fireplace. The middle
staircase possibly dates from this time but might be slightly earlier. A second
dairy outshut added probably in early C19.
Asymmetrical 5-window south-east front consisting of 2- and 3-light early C20
casements with glazing bars in small openings with timber lintels. Through passage
doorway to right of centre in C19 granite rubble gabled porch with stone seats
either side. Very wide C19 panelled door to passage. Doorway to left of centre
into former inner room has C19/C20 plank stable door and wooden lintel. Attached
to house at left-hand south-west corner is a very small single-storey open-fronted
building of granite rubble possibly once a pump-house as it contains a stone trough
which discharges into a drain running down from the house. The 2 stone outshuts to
the rear are either side of the cross passage. A small window to the right
directly under the eaves lights the garret staircase and in the adjoining gable end
a window lights the end garret bedroom.
Interior: the only rooms substantially unaltered by the C18 modernisation is the
former inner room which retains a heavily beamed ceiling of 2 cross beams chamfered
but unstopped and a large open fireplace with a wooden lintel chamfered with worn
scroll stops. The jamb to the left is monolithic granite, on the right it consists
of several stones. A wooden newel staircase projects to the left of the fireplace
and is probably not original but was inserted when as seems likely the room was
relegated to kitchen status in the C18. The very large hall stack obviously
conceals an early open fireplace. There are fielded panel shutters to the window
and similar panelling to the window seat below. At the partition to the inner
room, towards the rear wall a 2-fielded panel door with H-L hinges leads to a
framed staircase which continues up to the garret. Another framed straight run
staircase rises from the hall at the through passage side of the rear wall. The
through passage has a cobbled floor with a distinctive design of 3 consecutive
squares, the middle one containing a flower motif. The lower room has a small
open fireplace with square cut wooden lintel. The C18 alterations here consisted
of a cupboard next to the fireplace with a moulded architrave and dentilled
cornice. It has a curved back and the shelves follow the same line, there are
doors underneath and originally the top section also had doors. The shutters and
window seat are as in the hall except the shutters are not fielded and there is a
6-fielded panel door. At the top of the straight run staircase are bannisters on
the landing with very closely spaced elaborately turned balustrades and a newel of
the same design with a small finial capping and flat handrail. The central bedroom
over the hall has an C18 fireplace with reeded pilasters and dentilled cornice.
There is also a fielded panel window seat. Several bedrooms have 2-fielded panel
doors and good quality contemporary cupboards with H or H-L hinges. The roof is of
a standard C18 type with straight principals and lapped and pegged collars.
This farmhouse preserves an unspoilt traditional facade with the original ground
floor plan relatively unchanged; in the C18 modernisation a fairly typical change
of room use occured and much good quality joinery survives from this period.

Listing NGR: SX7492879565

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17535276

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)