Cider Barn At Higher Yalberton Farm

This is an early 19th-century cider barn belonging to Higher Yalberton Farm, located on Yalberton Road. It is built of local grey limestone rubble with a corrugated-iron roof that is half-hipped at the west end. The building follows an L-shaped plan, with a long range for cider barrel storage and a cross-wing to the east housing the machinery, now used with a tractor operating in an outshut at the east end. Apple juice from the press is delivered into a tank situated beneath the floor of the wing. The sloping land allows access from the orchard to the south for tipping apples into the press. A rear outshut, clad entirely in corrugated-iron, extends from the storage section, providing further space for barrels and tanks.

The main block is lofted, while the wing is single-storey to accommodate the height of the press. The north front has four window bays and is lofted. The wing has a projecting section with wide, paired doors under a timber lintel. The main block features regular fenestration with four ground-floor and four first-floor, two-light timber mullioned windows, incorporating diagonally-set iron stanchions and internal shutters. Ground-floor windows are detailed with red breccia voissoirs, and first-floor windows have timber lintels. The right end of the building has paired doors below a loft door, while the left end contains a large, low window opening into the tractor outshut.

The interior of the lofted storage section is divided into aisles by timber posts that are notched to support longitudinal timbers. Barrels are stored on these timbers, with a second tier propped by short pieces of wood; additional barrels are stored in the loft. The roof features 13 collar rafter trusses, repeated in the wing which also contains the press. Apples are loaded into a hopper from a platform accessible through a south-facing door. The press operates in layers separated by coarse material.

The barn historically served six orchards and is part of a legacy of cider production in the Paignton area, particularly at Yalberton and Higher Yalberton Farms, which represent key survivors of this industry. This purpose-built, more mechanised cider barn is considered a rare and of especial local interest within Devon.