Summary
House, former mill house, dating from 1779-1780. Later C19 additions and alterations; further alterations in late C20 and early C21.
Reasons for Designation
Leigh Mill Farm, formerly a mill house, dating from 1779-1780 with later alterations and additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* The building is a well-preserved, modest vernacular cottage of the later C18, a period at which most buildings are listed;
* It retains the majority of its envelope and a good proportion of historic fabric, such as some interior joinery, fireplace, and original roof structure;
* There have been late C20 and early C21 alterations, including the replacement of windows and the partial rebuilding of the south gable wall, but these have not impacted unduly on the integrity and legibility of the building.
Historic interest:
* As part of a former mill complex which, despite the loss of the watermill itself, is well-documented in contemporary sources.
History
There are documentary references (VCH, 1985) to a water grist mill at Leigh in the parish of Crowcombe in 1349, which was described as ruinous by 1438-1439. It was subsequently rebuilt, since sources refer to the mill in 1649, at which time it was grinding corn and malt and by 1745 there were three waterwheels at Leigh, powered by water brought to a mill pond along a leat from Doniford Stream to the south-east. In the late C18 the mill and mill house burnt down. A lease dated 25 March 1779 describes the water grist mills and mill house known as Leigh Mills as ‘lately burnt down’ and grants permission for the tenant John Sully to rebuild them. By March the following year, both of the buildings had been reconstructed and are depicted, together with the waterwheel, mill pond and sluice, on the Crowcombe Tithe Map of 1842 which refers to the site as ‘house, mills and gardens’. From the early C19, however, documents refer to the mill in the singular. It ceased operating in the 1870s and the mill, located to the north of the house, appears to have been demolished shortly afterwards since only the mill house, sluice, mill pond and leat are depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (published in 1888). A detached outbuilding to the north-east is also shown on this map.
From at least 1888 the mill house was known as Leigh Cottage; a name it retained until the late C20. It retains substantially the same footprint as when it was built in 1779-1780, but with additions to the south and rear, added probably in the C19. There is also evidence for some internal refurbishment being carried out during the C19. More recently, the short single-storey range with a hipped, thatched roof built against to the south gable wall, and visible on late C20 photographs, has been demolished and replaced with a timber outhouse on a similar footprint. In addition, a large part of the south gable wall and the southern chimney have been rebuilt, and the windows have been replaced; some in enlarged or inserted openings. The mill pond and north section of leat were infilled in the early C21, and the areas to the north and east of the house have been landscaped.
Details
House, former mill house, dating from 1779-1780. Later C19 additions and alterations; further alterations in late C20 and early C21.
MATERIALS: constructed of rendered and painted random stone rubble; the south gable wall is built mostly of brick. The western (front) slope of the roof is thatched and there are double Roman tiles to the eastern (rear) slope; it is half-hipped to the south end. The roof of the rear outshut is clad with corrugated sheeting. There are gable-end chimneystacks. The fenestration dates to the C20, except for two first-floor stair windows which are earlier. All the window frames are wooden.
PLAN: the building has a two-room, single-depth plan with a later C19 rear outshut and an early-C21 timber outhouse to the south gable end. It is orientated north-west-south-east.
EXTERIOR: the late-C18 house is of two storeys and five bays. The main (west) elevation has a wide entrance with C19 plank stable door to the left-hand bay, under a C20 open-sided porch. To the right are two casement windows set within internally-splayed openings, with three windows of two and three lights to the first floor; the opening with the three-light casement has been enlarged or inserted later. There are two windows within original openings at first-floor level in the north gable wall, and the section of wall to the left of the chimney breaks forwards of the rest of the gable end to accommodate the stairs. The rear elevation has an inserted ground-floor opening with a large late-C20 window and a two-light casement to the right-hand end at first floor level. The rear outshut contains an inserted entrance with a reused four-panelled door. A large section of the south gable wall has been rebuilt in brick, probably at the same time that the chimney was replaced, and the right-hand corner has been underpinned with brick. The ground- and first-floor window openings appear to have either been enlarged or are later insertions.
INTERIOR: a baffle entry with a wide plank and batten door opens onto the kitchen. This contains a large fireplace with timber bressumer, a later shelf and a bread oven; the door is missing. The back of the fireplace hood is cob. The room also contains a cupboard, possibly for spice, set into the wall and its door has a raised, fielded panel; the hinges have been replaced. There is a transverse, chamfered ceiling beam with a stepped stop to its west end. The partition wall to the southern room contains two doorways (one blocked) with unmitred, moulded doorframes which may date from the C19. The southern room has been subject to some alteration. The ceiling is supported by a modern, probably late-C20, ceiling beam supported at one end by a timber upright, though the joists, which are each formed from two lengths of timber, appear to be early. The fireplace (and stack) also appears to have been rebuilt and aligns with an axial partition wall that has been removed. A doorway in the back wall leads through to the rear outshut. This has a concrete floor, a small drain hole set low in the south wall, and a recessed shelf in the west wall. The first floor is accessed from a dogleg stair to the side of the kitchen fireplace and there has been some reconfiguration of the arrangement of upstairs rooms. The large landing has a blocked, rear window opening with splayed reveals set low in the wall, and opposite the stairs is a late-C18 plank door with strap hinges and a pegged doorframe. The roof is formed from pegged principal rafters with yokes and collars and single, threaded purlins. It is consistent with a late-C18 date.
Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the modern timber structure attached to the south gable wall and the detached open-fronted outbuilding to the north of the house are not of special architectural or historic interest and are excluded from the listing.
