Langford Court

Langford Court is a large house now divided into two dwellings, located in Cullompton. The building began as an early 16th-century structure and was substantially remodelled and enlarged during the 17th century. It is constructed of cob on a stone plinth, plastered, and covered with gabled end thatched roofs.

The house is arranged informally around a courtyard, though there is no evidence this was its original plan. The present main front and right-hand wing are the oldest parts of the structure, originally built as a 3-room through-passage plan with a long service wing. The service wing contains 7 jointed crucks and shows extensive evidence of smoke-blackening, with the heaviest sooting at the far end marking what was probably the early kitchen area. The sooting becomes progressively lighter towards the front of the wing, indicating the presence of one open hearth and a series of low internal partitions. The front range was completely re-roofed in the 19th century, though the cob wall dividing it from the left-hand wing, presumably a former end wall, is heavily soot blackened. The left-hand wing dates from the early 17th century and is contemporary with a general re-fenestration scheme and a 2-storeyed front porch. This wing probably functioned as the main range, as it contains the finest staircase and a hall with an unusual common rafter arch-braced roof. The fourth side is much later, externally entirely 19th century in character, though it may contain an older core.

The east-facing front elevation presents an asymmetrical 6-window range, with the facade reordered in the 17th century in a design clearly intended to impress. The outer window bays, representing the front faces of the side wings, are separately gabled with 19th-century wavy bargeboarding and feature identical 4-light casement windows to both floors, all with ovolo moulded frames and mullions. A 2-storeyed thatched porch stands right of centre, marking the entrance to the cross passage. The porch features 19th-century wavy bargeboarding incorporating one 17th-century pendant. The upper storey displays close studding and a 3-light ovolo moulded oriel on 4 concave brackets. The porch outer doorway frame is moulded with cyma recta, while the inner doorway, recessed slightly behind the line of the front wall, has a cyma recta moulded surround set in a wide architrave with concave moulding. An early 18th-century panelled door occupies this entrance. Five-light windows appear to the left and right of the porch at ground floor level, with 4-light windows above. Two-light windows to both floors appear to the right of the left-hand wing front gable, positioned slightly to one side of the former end wall of the main range. All casement windows are barred with ovolo moulding. Double brick chimney stacks with shafts stand at the junctions of the ranges and wings.

The north-facing right-hand elevation is asymmetrical with a 6-window range. The thatched roof eaves line over the rear storage area is brought well down and supported on diagonal struts. An end stack and two lateral stacks are present, one of which is external with two set-offs; all have brick shafts. All windows here are 19th century, of 2 and 5 lights. A 20th-century lean-to with corrugated iron roof is attached to this elevation.

The south-facing left-hand elevation has scattered fenestration comprising one 2-light and four 4-light casement windows to the first floor, with similar arrangements on the ground floor (the 2-light window being 20th century). A 3-light window is set between floors to the stairhall. All 17th-century windows feature ovolo moulded surrounds and mullions. A timber porch with a steep gable and fascia, slated, projects from this elevation. An axial chimney stack with double brick shaft is positioned here.

The rear west elevation is entirely 19th century with a slate roof and 2- and 4-light casement windows. Inner elevations mostly contain 19th-century windows, but the north range retains 2 older windows: one of 3 lights with a chamfered surround and mullions, and another of 2 lights with a massive chamfered mullion, one light only bearing 8 leaded panes.

Internally, the north wing contains 5 rooms. A massive end fireplace with a chamfered lintel and bressumer above is present, alongside a chambered unstopped beam. Remains of a through-passage between the service room and a room now serving as a kitchen survive, divided by 2 cross beams and reorganised by the insertion of a brick larder. The main room is heated by an external stack with a big chamfered beam, a tile fireplace largely rebuilt, and 2 cross beams chamfered towards the front of the wing. The roof contains 7 jointed crucks, morticed and pegged at the apex with cranked collars similarly morticed and pegged. Two sets of trenched purlins support the structure. Smoke blackening is heaviest at the rear end, with some sooted rafters evident.

The main east range was widened and re-roofed in the 19th century. The main room contains 2 axial chamfered unstopped beams, and the porch gives into a wide cross passage.

The south wing comprises 3 rooms, entrance, and stairhall. The stairhall contains 2 cross beams with scroll stops and remains of a 17th-century stair with 2 turned newel posts and some turned balusters. Seventeenth-century panelling with cyma recta moulding survives here. The middle room, probably a hall, has a fireplace with composite moulded stone jambs featuring ovolo and cyma reversa moulding with fillet, and large moulded stops. A 19th-century rear lean-to is attached, but the ovolo moulded wall plate is visible internally. The upper room to the front of the wing displays 18th or early 19th-century panelling. In a recess to one side of the large stack, presumably external to the smoke blackened former end wall of the main east range, fragments of 17th-century panelling are visible only from the roof space.

The roof of the south wing contains trusses, all clean, with collars halved and pegged except over the middle room, where the roof construction is unusual. Two jointed crucks occupy each end, supporting a common rafter roof with 14 common rafters set 18 inches apart, each featuring a collar and arched brace attached to the collar by old iron nails. There is no evidence this roof originally supported a plaster ceiling, although it may have been intended to do so.