Culmbridge Cottage

Culmbridge Cottage is a probable early 17th-century farmhouse, later altered, situated on Culmbridge Road in Hemyock, Devon. The construction is of roughcast random rubble, with gable-ended corrugated iron and asbestos roofing. Originally a three-room through-passage house, the higher end is located to the right of the passage. The passage was positioned behind a stack, with the outer room being heated. The service end stack was rebuilt in the 19th century, and is situated externally to the gable wall of a later 19th-century range which does not hold special architectural interest.

The front elevation has two storeys and a four-window range. It features a 19th-century three-light casement window to the left, and two 20th-century two-light windows to the right on the ground floor. The first floor accommodates two or three-light steel casement windows. The rear of the property has a later lean-to extending across most of the width, including a rear door. A doorway is positioned off-centre to the left.

Internally, the cottage has undergone modifications, but retains three deep ceiling beams with large chamfers, now boxed-in. A large bressumer (uneven timber) fireplace is present at the service end, alongside blocked hall and end fireplaces. The service end exhibits a curved wall section at the rear, possibly linked to a former stair or past kitchen activity. The roof space is inaccessible, though it contains one pair of raised late cruck timbers and a second pair of heavy principals, visible in the upper rooms.

Alternatively, Culmbridge Farmhouse, also dating probably to the 17th century and with later alterations, stands on Culmbridge Lane in Hemyock. It is constructed of roughcast random rubble with a corrugated iron gable roof. Originally planned as a three-room, through-passage house, the higher end is situated to the right of the passage. A mid-19th-century extension was added to the property; adjoining farmbuildings are dated 1848. The hall is heated by an axial stack backing onto the passage, while the inner room is heated by an end stack. The service end stack was rebuilt in the 19th century, and is set externally to the gable wall of a taller 19th-century range.

The front elevation presents a four-window range for the 17th-century section; the roof ridge line of this section is notably lower than that of the left-hand 19th-century extension. The first floor has two and three-light metal casement windows, while the service end of the ground floor features a 19th-century three-light casement window; later 20th-century windows are elsewhere. A 20th-century lean-to is located at the rear.

The interior, which is not accessible, contains a boxed axial beam at the service end, along with a large fireplace with an unchamfered lintel. The hall fireplace is blocked. Three cross ceiling beams with deep chamfers and unstopped ends are present, and the inner room fireplace survives, although its details could not be inspected. An axial ceiling beam, also chamfered and unstopped, is found in the inner room. The roof principals are understood to be straight.