Higher Moorhayes Farmhouse Including Front Garden Wall

Farmhouse. The core of the building may date back to the late 15th century, incorporating fragments of a medieval chapel, although the earliest certain feature is late 16th century. It underwent extensive remodelling in the 19th century. The farmhouse is constructed of a cob and stone mix, plastered, beneath a gabled roof covered in asphalted slate tiles. Originally a three-room, cross-passage house with a higher-end section located to the right of the passage, it has a lower-end rear wing with a former external end stack now integrated into an outshut. End stacks are present on the main range, with brick shafts. The hall originally appeared to have been heated at the higher end, but the stack has been removed.

The front has a mix of 19th-century casement windows: one two-light window and three three-light windows to the first floor, all with removed glazing bars, and one similar three-light window on either side of a porch. The stone porch has a stepped gable, a shield in the apex, and incorporates a reset medieval arch, likely from the former chapel, with a wavy moulding interrupted by a fillet. The left-hand elevation features a round-headed window on each floor; the first floor window has four panes and head lights, while the ground floor window is a 12-pane hornless sash. The outshut, of two storeys, has two-light casement windows. Mostly 20th-century casement windows are found on the rear, along with a lean-to with a corrugated iron roof.

Inside, the lower-end room has heavily painted plaster over the end fireplace, featuring festoons and a central lion’s head, which may be late 16th century. The hall contains two crossbeams with a single roll moulding. The original fireplace is no longer present, but deep recesses indicate its former position. Other interior features are primarily 19th-century, including internal panelled reveals and door surrounds. The roof has six trusses with halved and pegged collars and principals meeting at the apex. Lapped purlins are attached to the back of the rafters. Fragments of late 15th or early 16th century painted glass canopy work, probably from the chapel, are found within the stairwell window.

The front garden gateway consists of reused medieval material, including a lintel with a composite roll and concave moulding, and a studded door, and these are included within the listing.