Tidcombe Farmhouse

TIVERTON

SS91SE WARNICOMBE LANE, Tidcombe 848-1/7/99 Tidcombe Farmhouse

II

Farmhouse. Probably C16. Rendered stone rubble; steep asbestos slate roof; 2 brick lateral stacks at rear, brick end stack on left. PLAN: overall T-shaped plan including early C19 rear stair wing plus later service wing rebuilt late C20. Original house is part of the 5-room range at the front. The original probable hall is the second room from the left, the left-hand room also part of the original house. Right of the hall is a cross passage leading to stair hall and right of the passage are 2 more rooms, the room on the right being a later addition, originally unheated. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. Overall 6-window range with 2 doorways, each doorway central to a 3-window range. Late C20 3-light casements in old openings. INTERIOR: retains 6 of the principal rafters and most of the purlins of the original jointed-cruck roof structure with no sign of smoke-blackening. The roof structure at the right-hand end of the house is much later, probably C18 with lapped collars. The best feature of the house is a fine quality oak ceiling structure with triple-ovolo moulded crossbeam and similar moulded perimeter beams as cornices and with bead-moulded joists between. There are 2 original fireplaces but these are partly blocked. Later features of interest include: 2 x C18 2-panel doors flanking the entrance hall, some similar doors to cupboard in 2nd chamber from right; several C18 planked doors at the left-hand end of the house, one with studded nails behind the strap hinges; a large fireplace in the left-hand room; some early C19 6-panel doors with inner beads to the panels, an L-plan bench built in by the window of the left-hand room and an open-well staircase with stick balusters. Most of the rooms have old plaster ceilings and old wall surfaces. Like many early Devon farmhouses, Little Tidcombe Farmhouse has a modest external appearance but internally retains evidence of an important earlier status as is proven by the very high quality of its hall ceiling.

Listing NGR: SS9768412045