Lower Woodmanton Farmhouse

This is a late 17th-century farmhouse. It is built of roughcast cob on stone footings, with the left-hand end wall and rear wing largely rebuilt or recased in brick. The roof is gabled and covered with corrugated iron. Originally a three-room, through-passage plan house, the service wing is located to the right of the passage. An external end stack, with slated offsets, is situated on the left-hand side, and a former external rear lateral stack to the hall had an adjacent stair turret. Both stacks have brick shafts. A 19th-century outshut is also present. The farmhouse is two storeys high. The front elevation has a four-window range. The windows are mostly casements (dating to around 1794), except for the chamber window at the service end, which has cavetto moulding with a fillet to its surround and mullion (ovolo moulding internally). On the ground floor, the inner room and hall feature late 18th-century three-light casements, while the service end retains a 17th-century window with ovolo moulding internally. A wide doorway is topped with a canopy on shaped brackets, sheltering a panelled door. The right-hand end of the front facade has been completely replaced with modern windows. Inside, the hall has one axial beam and two half beams with ovolo moulding and two fillets, featuring run-out stops with two bars. The inner room has axial and one half beam with ovolo and cavetto mouldings and fillets, showcasing an elaborate stop incorporating a saltire and bar. The rear passage doorway has an ovolo-moulded surround, and the door has moulded studded rails and fleur-de-lis strap hinges. Several late 17th or early 18th-century fielded panel and planked doors are present, including one leading to a corner cupboard with a dentilled cornice. Original panelled internal shutters and window seats have been preserved. A significant amount of crown glass remains, including panes inscribed with "Matthew Lee, his hand, Woodbury, Devon, December 3rd 1784" and "I think Nothing Strange chance/Happen unto all if my lots today/Tomorrow you may fall. Matt. Lee, July 26th, 1800". The roof reveals two jointed crucks; the apex carpentry appears to have been renewed, possibly in the 18th century, with collars and a kingpost, all pegged. The wing’s axial stack has a moulded cap.