Bremley Farmhouse And Adjoining Outbuildings

Bremley Farmhouse and Adjoining Outbuildings

This is a farmhouse dating from around 1500, extensively altered in the early to mid-17th century, with 18th and late 18th to early 19th century additions, and minor mid to late 19th century alterations and additions.

The main building is rendered, probably over stone rubble and cob. The early 18th century addition is in partly rendered cob over stone rubble, while the later 18th and early 19th century additions are mainly of coursed rubble with some cob. The roofs consist of a gable-ended slate roof (scantle-slate), a hipped slate roof over the rear addition, and a corrugated-asbestos monopitch roof over the outbuilding. The chimney stacks are of stone with square lateral and end positions, finished with weatherings; two are rendered.

The building follows a 4-room and through-passage plan facing south, with ground sloping to the left. The Late-Medieval core consists of an open hall with an inner room (now the kitchen) to the right and a through-passage (probably altered in the late 19th century) to the left, with a service room beyond and a second service room to the far left. The hall was originally open to the roof continuously from end to end, with rooms probably divided by low partitions. Unusually for a Medieval farmhouse in Devon, there is an extra lower room, which appears to have been part of the original plan based on smoke-blackened roof evidence above, though it may have been extended later.

17th century alterations included the insertion of the first floor and the addition of external stacks to the rear of the hall and first service room, an external end stack to the lower service room, and an integral end stack (possibly later than the 17th century) to the inner room, since truncated (visible as straight joints in the gable end). The staircase in the cross passage was probably also inserted during the 17th century, though the present stair is 19th century in date. The raising of the eaves likely occurred at this period too. A wing was probably added to the rear of the lower service room in the early 18th century, and a dairy wing was added to the rear of the inner room, probably in the mid to late 18th century. Late 18th or early 19th century outbuildings (probably altered in the late 19th century) stand between the ends of the two rear wings, forming a service courtyard. A small lean-to addition occupies the north-west angle between the lower service room and rear wing. The building is 2 storeys, with additions of 1 storey and a 1-storey-and-attic dairy wing.

The approximately symmetrical front elevation has 5 first-floor windows, which are 20th century 2-light wooden casements, and 3 ground-floor windows, which are late 19th century 2-and 3-light small-paned wooden casements. The former cross-passage doorway at the centre is fitted with a 19th century 6-panelled door (with 2 upper panels glazed) in a chamfered wooden frame, with a 20th century gabled lattice wooden porch above. A 20th century boarded door to the far right has 4 glazed panels to the top. The rear stacks have chamfered offsets. The wing at the rear of the left-hand end has a boarded door to the rear and a boarded door to the lean-to on the west side. The dairy wing features an 18th century first-floor leaded wooden casement. The wing enclosing the rear courtyard has a 2-light window with wrought-iron bars in its east end and a 2-light leaded wooden casement in its west end.

The interior has been remodelled in the mid to late 19th century. The hall features a spine beam and a blocked large old fireplace to the rear, with an L-shaped bench along the front wall only, and former servants' bells. Four old boarded doors open off the hall. The former service room to the left retains a large old fireplace to the rear with tiled reveals and a front window whose jambs continue to floor level. The entrance hall has a 19th century tiled floor and staircase with a 19th century balustrade. 19th century four-panelled doors are throughout.

The roof structure is a 5-bay roof with substantial remains of Late-Medieval smoke-blackened construction, including trusses at the upper and lower ends of the hall that are probably jointed crucks (evidenced by a line of trusses on the bedroom walls above the hall), each with a cambered collar and mortice-and-tenoned apex. The left-hand hall truss has unblackened plaster in the roof space up to collar level on its lower side, probably revealed due to later lowering of the ceiling. The truss at the right-hand end of the hall shows evidence of a former wattle and daub panel (visible on top of the collar and stove holes in the underside of each blade). The truss between the service room and lower service room probably replaces a Medieval truss, as indicated by the smoke-blackened ridge piece above it. A blackened hip cruck stands at the right-hand end. Trenched purlins remain in situ over the hall (only the top pair visible in the roof space). The ridge piece, diagonally set and smoke-blackened, is in situ over the hall and inner room and over the service end, though it is sawn off over the central bay. A pegged scarf joint appears in the ridge piece to the left of the truss at the lower end of the service room, though the section that formerly covered the lower service room has been sawn off. Some smoke-blackened rafters survive in the left-hand bay. A late 20th century roof structure has been added over the old roof.

This house is notable among late-Medieval houses in the area because of its extra lower room.