Herne Place With Attached Barn And Outbuildings Adjoining To West, And Front Garden Railings

This is a mid-17th century farmhouse, with a barn and outbuildings attached, situated in Halberton. According to the current occupier, a datestone from 1648 was once visible on the rear lateral stack, although it is now concealed. The building is constructed from a mixture of stone and cob, with plastered walls beneath gabled-end and hipped slate roofs. Originally, it featured a three-room, through-passage plan, with the lower end on the right-hand side, and a lower-end rear wing. It is possible that the underlying structure predates the mid-17th century remodelling. Deep cupboards between the hall and lower end room may indicate the previous location of the passage. The principal room is now a conversion, evidenced by the main lower end front window being placed alongside the former passage, which likely remained in use.

The external left-hand end stack is made of stone, featuring a pair of moulded set-offs, and sits adjacent to a slated former stair turret. A rear external lateral stack serves the hall, while an internal end stack is located on the right-hand side; all have brick shafts. The farmhouse has two storeys and a four-window front. The first floor has C19 two and three-light windows, alongside a C20 metal casement window to the right. A brick porch with a slate roof provides access to a stair hall between the hall and parlour. Windows are C19 and C20, with a four-light casement to the rear; the right-hand window, serving the remodelled lower end room, is composed of two main lights, each with three subordinate lights, all under a hood mould. The king mullion and surround of this window are decorated with a cyma recta moulding, while the subordinate mullions feature ovolo moulding, with five leaded panes per light. Stanchions are also present. C19 and C20 casement windows are found at the rear, and a jettied corridor behind the hall chamber has two entrances beneath and a small window above.

Inside, the right-hand room (the principal reception room) has three cross beams; two have double ovolo mouldings with fillet and run-out stops, while the third (possibly added) has a simpler deep chamber. An elaborately decorated console bracket supports the lintel above the front window. The hall has a later, possibly 18th-century beam, and the parlour features a single deep chamfered beam. A dog-leg staircase has C18 turned balusters. The lower end chamber has a plaster ceiling with a single ribbed design, a central eagle motif, and thistles at the angles and corners; a cornice displaying cornucopia adorns three sides of the room. A rear flight of stairs, possibly originally external, leads to a first-floor corridor, which has a decorated console bracket similar to that supporting the main reception room window's lintel, but instead supports the former rear wall and wall plate. The rear wing includes an ovolo-moulded door frame and a deep chamfered beam with hollow step stops. Original C17 planked and panelled doors remain, alongside C18 panelled doors to the ground floor. The roof structure consists of five principals, with morticed and side-pegged apexes, dovetailed collars, and C19 iron railings to the front garden. The barns and outbuildings flanking the front garden and attached to the farmhouse are included in this listing.