Calves' house and cartshed at Byes Farm, Hemyock, Devon

Summary

Calves' house and cartshed, C18 with C19 and C20 alterations.

Description

Calves' house and cartshed, C18 with C19 and C20 alterations.

MATERIALS: they are constructed of random rubble stone and cob, with a timber-framed front to the calves' house. The roofs are covered in metal corrugated sheeting. Various repairs in blockwork to the calves' house.

PLAN: the agricultural buildings are grouped loosely around two yards. The linhay to the north, and milking shed, barn and stables building to the east form an L-shaped plan around a yard. There is a second group of farm buildings consisting of animal housing, probably CALVES’ HOUSE, and a CARTSHED to the south which enclose three sides of a small yard.

The calves' house has an L-shaped footprint and the cartshed is rectangular, and together they enclose three sides of a small yard. The cartshed has been extended by one bay at the north end.

EXTERIOR: the calves' house is a low, single-storey structure. The timber-framed front is weatherboarded, and some of the timbers have been replaced over the years. It has a series of low wooden doors, some with wooden latches, which are of different dates. The rear elevations are built of stone rubble and cob, and the north end of the building has been partially rebuilt in concrete blocks. The cartshed is a high building under a pitched roof with a wide cart entrance at the north end. The gable above this is boarded. The west and east elevations are plain, though vertical joints towards the north end are evidence of the one-bay addition. There is an infilled window with stone lintel in the south gable wall.

INTERIOR: the calves' house is divided into stalls with simple wooden partitions. The low roof is formed of pegged principal tie-beam trusses with applied collars, a single row of purlins and a ridgepiece. Towards the rear of the cartshed is a large axial timber beam with slots for joists which may be evidence of an upper floor at this end of the building. The C19 roof of light principal rafters springing directly from the wall plate, strengthened with low collars, three rows of slender purlins and a double ridge piece.

History

Byes Farm has its origins in the C17. The farm buildings date principally from the C18, with some updating, alterations and additions in the C19 and C20.

The earliest map evidence for the farm is the 1809 Ordnance Survey map, although the individual buildings are not clearly depicted. It is shown clearly on the Tithe Map for Hemyock of 1841, where there is an L-shaped range of farm buildings loosely forming the north and east sides of a yard, with a U-shaped range to the south and the farmhouse to the west. The accompanying apportionment records that Byes, as it was then described, was owned by William Farrant and occupied by James Mitchell. Late-C19 trade directories record that it was a dairy farm during this period and remained as such throughout the C20. The farmhouse was partially demolished in the 1970s and was replaced with the current dwelling immediately to the south of the extant portion of the earlier house.

Map regression indicates that the cartshed at the south-west corner of the farmstead was extended at its north end sometime before 1841, and that the stable building was altered and refitted in the late C19. The footprint of the farm buildings remains, however, relatively consistent through the OS maps of 1889, 1905 and 1964. The map of 1964 does show that the milking shed and a lean-to structure to the rear of the stables had by then been added to the farmstead. The fabric of the farm buildings indicates various phases of adaptation and repair. The linhay was originally a longer structure that extended further eastwards, and it was foreshortened to its current footprint when the adjacent milking shed was built. In more recent years the roof coverings to the buildings have been replaced with metal corrugated sheeting, and the rear wall at the north-east corner of the U-shaped range has been rebuilt.

Reasons for Listing

The calves' house and cartshed at Byes Farm are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the distinctive form of the calves’ house is clearly evident despite minor alterations, with its low roof, multiple doorways and stall divisions;
* the cartshed is built in a similar manner to the other buildings, and its enlargement in the early C19 is evidence of the development of facilities at the farm;
* the functions of the buildings are clearly illustrated in their fabric.

Historic interest:

* as part of a largely-complete C18 farmstead which illustrates the character and nature of local farming practices within the context of the overall national patterns in farming history.

Group value:

* with the other Grade II-listed farm buildings which are linked by their date and appearance.

External Links

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.