North Down Farmhouse

Details

SS 30 SW CLAWTON

1/9 North Down Farmhouse -

GV II

Farmhouse. Late medieval core remodelled in the circa late C17, C18 alterations. Whitewashed rendered cob on stone rubble footings, corrugated iron roof over thatch hipped at the left end, gabled at the right end over an adjoining barn and gabled at the end of the rear wing, axial stone stack. A late medieval open hall house with a 2-bay hall and probably a 2-storey inner room was remodelled in the C17 when the hall was ceiled over and a hall stack inserted backing on to the through passage. The passage is now at the left-hand end of the main range, the C17 lower end no longer exists and may have been dismantled in the C18 when an unheated rear left service wing was added forming an L-plan. The inner room, heated from an axial stack is now part of the barn adjoining at the right and the stack has been partly dismantled. A third stack, cob and truncated exists on the right gable end wall of the barn and may indicate a third heated room added at the inner end of the main range, or may represent the remains of a probably C18 single- cell cottage adjoining the main range. A stack was inserted in the rear wing, probably in the late C19/early C20 when it was converted to a kitchen. 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 2-window front with regular fenestration and a wide 6-panel front door to the passage on the front at the left. To the right of the door a circa late C19 3-light hall window, 6 panes per light, C20 window ground floor right. 2 first floor late C19/early C20 2-light casements with glazing bars. The barn adjoining at the right end has been partly rebuilt in concrete block. Interior 1 smoke-blackened collar rafter roof truss over the hall with a slightly cambered collar halved and pegged into the principal rafters which are mortised at the apex with a diagonally-set ridge. The battens and ridge are smoke-blackened but the medieval thatch has been replaced. A similar closed truss between the hall and inner room is not sooted on the inner side. The roofspace over the rear wing is not fully accessible but the trusses appear to be C18. Open fireplace with stone rubble jambs and a timber lintel to the hall which has a roughly chamfered cross beam and a cream oven. A newel stair rises in the rear right angle of the hall with a keeping place on the wall. The first floor room left has a late C17 fireplace with stone rubble jambs and a chamfered lintel with bar scroll stops. The rear of the cross passage has been converted to a bedroom. The interior of the house is very unspoiled with old wall plaster. The surviving medieval roof timbers are rare in this part of West Devon.

Listing NGR: SS3460400209

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

90664

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.