Description

DOWN ST MARY
SS 70 SW
2/147
Bartonbury Farmhouse
26.8.65

- II*

Farmhouse. Mid-late C16 with C17 improvements and extensions. Plastered cob on
rubble footings; stone rubble stacks with ashlar chimney shafts, one enlarged with
C20 brick; corrugated asbestos roof (formerly thatch) and slate to outshot.
Farmhouse facing north with unusual plan. Originally the front door led into an
entrance lobby with small service roan or buttery to rear. To the left (east) is
the hall and the inner room beyond. Hall has projecting rear lateral stack and a
newel stair turret alongside and inner room has a former end stack, now axial. To
left C17 1-room extension and a further late C17-early C18 cider store extension
on the end. Front outshot, former dairy, converted to kitchen circa 1950. The
shippon at right (west) end was formerly stables with access from the entrance
lobby and was built in late C17-early C18, maybe an enlargement of the original.
2 storeys.
Irregular 4-window front to main house comprising a variety of mid-late C16, C17
and C20 windows. Rebuilt outshot towards left end has circa 1950 iron-framed
casements with glazing bars and contemporary doors. First floor window to C17
extension (over monopitch roof of outshot) is a half dormer with gable over and
contains C17 oak 2-light window with ovolo-moulded mullion but lower part has been
cut away. The main door right of centre has the partly-restored original oak door
frame, a flat Tudor arch with chamfered surround, carved foliate spandrels and
delicately-moulded architrave. It contains a possibly C17 studded plank door with
coverstrips and hung on Cl9 strap hinges. Door is flanked by C20 windows, that to
the hall on left inserted circa 1950. Main hall window further left is C16 or C17
with an unusual form. It is oak and now 3 lights (originally 6 and missing
alternate mullions) with moulded mullions which are boxed in internally. The
frame has a moulded surround in which the central ogee mould is enriched with a
series of incisions with splayed ends. The head includes more of the same and
rosettes. It has been cut back to accommodate C19 casements and may once have
been inscribed with initials or date. 3 first floor windows over hall and
lobby/service room are C16 or C17 oak chamfered-mullion windows of different size
with some lights enlarged by removal of mullions. Shippon at right end has doors
either side of an unglazed framed window with hayloft loading hatch over with pair
of pigeon holes under eaves to left. Roof is gable-ended to left and hipped to
right:.
Rear elevation is also irregular with hall and inner room broken forward from
service end and C17 extension. Late C17-early C18 extension also broken forward.
Most windows are C20 casements with glazing bars, those on first floor enlarging
the original embrasures. C20 glass-fronted porch to inner room and C20 door to
service room. Stair turret has small original oak-framed light and service end
chamber has original 3-light oak window with chamfered mullions. 2 bee-boles to
left of C20 door and towards left end door to shippon. Gable end of late C17-
early C18 extension has plank door with blocked window over. Both chimney shafts
are ashlar with chamfered coping. Hall shaft plastered. Inner room shaft has
second C20 brick flue added for first floor fireplace.
Excellent and well-preserved interior. Screen between entrance hall and service
roan/buttery removed within living memory and said to have been an oak plank-and-
muntin screen. Lower end of hall had an oak plank-and-muntin screen of which the
headbeam only now survives. Hall is exquisite. Rear fireplace has volcanic
ashlar jambs and an oak lintel with a soffit broad bead moulding and front
containing a shallow recessed panel with horizontal fluted moulding. Fireplace
includes inserted C19 brick oven. Alongside to right an oak flat Tudor arched
doorway with mended plank door leads to newel stair. At upper end of hall is an
oak plank-and-muntin screen. It has an elaborately moulded frieze including bands
of carved wreathed foliage, series of incised simple shapes and an arcade. The
muntins have broad chaqers with diagonal step stops above level of oak bench,
most of which survives in situ. Rear hall window has an oak window seat and an
C18 bible cupboard under the window with a panelled door on H-hinges. Embrasure
has a small niche to left. To right of front window is cream oven alcove,
probably C18. Hall floored in early C17 with a richly-moulded crossbeam with
runout stops.
Inner room crossbeam has soffit hacked back. Reverse of hall plank-and-muntin
screen is plain compared with front. fireplace has volcanic sides and massive
granite lintel and chamfered surround. Oven in rear is now hidden by C20 stove.
C19 stairs to right of fireplace occupy site of former newel whose former presence
shown by curved recess in wall. Small service room behind in C17 extension has
plain soffit chamfered axial bean. Full height cob crosswall to late C17-early
C18 cider store which is open to 2-bay roof carried on A-frame truss with pegged
lap-jointed collar and X-apex.
On first floor plain roof between solid crosswalls and back of inner wall stack
shows weathered off-sets proving that it was once external. Hall has full height
large-framed crosswalls over the plank-and-muntin screens. They are closed side-
pegged jointed cruck trusses and there is an open side-pegged jointed cruck truss
over the hall. Roofspace over service end and inner room is not smoke-blackened
but roofspace over hall is inaccessible. Evidence for some remodelling in upper
end crosswall where roof raised in C17 leaving empty mortices in principals from
earlier roof. Lower end crosswall includes small window (now blocked) overlooking
hall. Newel from hall has solid oak treads and includes rare survival of original
blind balustrade at top. Early C17 oak door frames with chamfered surround to 2
chambers off the first floor landing. Some early wide floorboards in hall
chamber. Full height cob crosswall between service roan/buttery and shippon.
Shippon has plain waney beans to ground floor and 3-bay roof carried on A-frame
trusses with pegged lap-jointed collars.
Bartonbury is a very well-preserved farmhouse which includes a number of features
of surprisingly high quality relative to the size and status of the house. By any
criteria of judgement this is an important Devon farmhouse.

Listing NGR: SS7389803465

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17548407

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.

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