Westgate

This is a house, originally a farmhouse, likely dating back to the late 16th century or earlier, with significant remodelling in the mid to late 17th century and substantial renovations in the late 20th century. The construction uses local flint rubble with brick quoins at the left end, and cob to the rear. The roof is thatched with a plain ridge, hipped at the right end, and gabled at the left end, featuring axial and rear lateral stacks. The plan appears to be an approximate “U” shape, with a single depth west-facing range fronting the road and two rear wings set at right angles.

The rear left (north-east) wing is believed to be the earliest part of the house, suggesting the remains of a through passage plan house of around the late 16th or early 17th century, originally aligned east to west. The rear wing may represent the lower end of the original house, and the lateral stack in the main range could be the original hall stack, backing onto the passage. Recent alterations to the main range have involved adjustments to internal partitions, although late 17th-century carpentry survives within the southernmost room. The south-east wing may be a slightly later addition, with a lean-to structure connecting the rear wings.

The exterior presents a near-symmetrical four-bay frontage, with the centre slightly projecting a gabled porch housing an early 19th-century front door with fielded panels. The windows are timber casements with small panes, in 2-, 3- and 4-light configurations.

Inside, the entrance leads to a stair hall, with the staircase repositioned in the late 20th century. A room to the right has a probable 18th-century panelled door, a stop-chamfered axial beam with bar scroll stops, and an open fireplace with a chamfered lintel. The room to the left of the entrance is large and features a fireplace with a chamfered lintel, which likely served as the original hall fireplace of the through passage range. This room has been entirely lined with 18th-century panelling originally from a house in Honiton and relocated to Westgate within the last 15 years. The north-east wing exhibits an open view up to the collar level of a jointed cruck roof truss. A plank and muntin screen headbeam remains, running parallel to the east wall of the main range, with a preserved doorframe at the north end, suggesting the location of the original through passage. The south-east wing is heated by a fireplace in the axial stack. Reused architectural features include a mullioned window, moved from the first floor of the main range’s rear elevation, and a chamfered doorframe with a 17th-century door overlooking the stairwell.