Planned Farmyard West Of Collaton Farmhouse

The planned farmyard west of Collaton Farmhouse dates from the late 1840s to early 1850s, with some later alterations. It is constructed from local red breccia rubble, with one range re-fronted in brick. The farmyard is situated west of and below the farmhouse, on a prominent roadside corner. It consists of buildings on three sides of a yard. The west range, which faces the farmhouse, is a shippon, while the north range, which backs onto the Totnes Road, serves as a stable. The south range is another shippon.

The exterior of the west range features a brick front on the yard side only, with three ground-floor doorways alternating with windows, all having segmental heads. There is a large opening at the right end with a loft entrance above, along with two smaller loft doors to the left and centre. The south shippon has five segmental-headed shippon doorways with slatted doors, two segmental-headed loft doorways, and one segmental-headed glazed loft window. The stable block opposite contains two original stable doors, one with a deep overlight, and a segmental-headed window to the right, along with a segmental-headed loft doorway. Two openings at the left end, a doorway and a loft door, have brick architraves and are likely later additions. A lean-to addition at the right end includes a segmental-headed doorway and a window. The rear elevation of this range has a blocked archway with a keystone from the Totnes Road.

Inside, the brick-fronted shippon features a scissor-braced king post roof. The south shippon retains mangers and brick feeding troughs, along with a rear feeding passage. The stable range has a paved floor and still has some stall partitions and mangers. This farmyard is a good example of a modestly-scaled planned farmyard designed for a primarily dairying area, set around a cobbled yard.