Clifton Cottages And Stone Walls To East Manor Barn Cottage And Stone Walls To East

Clifton Cottages and the stone walls to the east of Manor Barn Cottage are a pair of cottages that originated from a barn, which has been extended and altered. The barn likely dates from the late 15th or 16th century, with a conversion to a carriage house in the late 19th century and further conversion into cottages in the 20th century. The structure is built of painted stone rubble, with the rear wall rendered, and features a slate gabled roof. The carriage house portion is made of stone rubble with brick dressings and has brick stacks.

The building has a large rectangular plan with remnants of a midstrey porch and no evidence of a rear entrance. It has been significantly altered and stands two storeys high with a front that features four windows on one side and three on the other. The north end of the barn retains a massive central buttress, while the rear elevation has five buttresses. The front of Manor Barn Cottage shows remnants of the midstrey, with stone cheeks and a lean-to slate roof. There are numerous modern openings, including roof lights, in the barn roof. Clifton Cottages maintain the character of the carriage house, including the original doorway, and have a higher-roofed addition at the left end.

The interior of Manor Barn Cottage was inspected, but no evidence of an early roof was found. Surrounding the east side gardens are tall stone rubble walls, likely contemporary with the barn. Although significantly altered, this building represents a fragment of pre-19th century Torquay. The site was once part of Torwood Grange, owned by Torre Abbey until 1540, when it was granted to John Ridgeway and Sir Thomas Denys. The manor house was demolished in 1843 by the Harvey brothers during the development of the area into villas.