North Hill Farmhouse

Details

SX 68 NE CHAGFORD

3/58 North Hill Farmhouse 20.2.52 - II

House, former Dartmoor longhouse. Late C16-early C17, thoroughly refurbished with extension circa 1930. Walls of plastered granite except the porch which is built of dressed granite blocks of various sizes; granite stacks with granite ashlar chimney shafts; slate roof. Plan and development: L-shaped house. The main block is built down a slope and it faces south. It has a 3-room-and-through-passage longhouse plan. The inner room parlour is terraced into the slope at the uphill left (west) end and has an end stack with a newel stair alongside. The hall has an axial stack backing onto the passage and a disused newel stair in the rear wall. Circa 1930 the inner room was enlarged at the expense of the hall. The rear of the through-passage was blocked by a dairy, maybe an original feature. Late C16-early C17. 2-storey porch in front of passage. The shippon was converted to domestic use circa 1930 and has a rear lateral stack of that date. At the same time a rear block was built at right angles to rear of the inner room and it contains the present main stair and 2 service rooms with an axial stack between. Since the roof has been replaced it is not now possible to establish the sequence of historic development. The hall was probably open to the roof originally. Now 2 storeys throughout. Exterior: regular 2:1:1 window front of circa 1930 casements containing rectangular panes of leaded glass. In fact the windows are built with mullions moulded to look C17 in style. The porch is gabled and has a 2-centred outer arch with chamfered surround. It is probably late C16-early C17. Front passage doorway contains C20 door. Similar fenestration around the rest of the house and the first floor windows to rear are gabled half dormers. Both blocks are gable-ended. Interior of main block is largely original in the original domestic section. The hall has a large granite fireplace with a chamfered surround. The housing of the side oven projects into the passage. There is an oak crank-headed doorframe to the disused stair turret and another similar but much-mended doorframe alongside the fireplace to a blocked doorway to the passage or former dairy. At the upper end of the hall there is an oak plank-and-muntin screen under a soffit-chamfered crossbeam. It has chamfered muntins with step stops and includes another crank-headed doorframe. Set here the screen makes the hall unusually small and the inner room large. It seems likely that it has been moved. In the inner room there is a boxed in beam or RSJ which is thought to mark the original position of the screen. The fireplace in the inner room is also granite with a chamfered surround. Alongside there is a stone round-headed doorway to the newel stair which has stone treads. The crossbeam here has shallow soffit chamfers. The former shippon was much rebuilt circa 1930. The open fireplace is of that date, so too are the crossbeams. The roof too was replaced at the same time.

Listing NGR: SX6769687471

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

94589

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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