Fishleigh Barton Farmhouse

Fishleigh Barton Farmhouse

A substantial barton farmhouse with possibly 14th-century origins to the rear connecting range, the main range probably dating to the 15th or early 16th century, and an outside kitchen range of early 16th-century date. The main range was remodelled in 1627, as indicated by a carved date over the main doorway. The building is constructed of rendered stone and cob, with an asbestos slate roof with gable ends. A rendered stack rises to the right gable end, with an axial stack towards the left end and lateral stacks to the rear of the hall and to the left (north) side of the cross-wing, all with tapered caps. The kitchen range has a corrugated asbestos roof with an axial stone rubble stack.

The building has a complex plan. The main range follows essentially a three-room-and-former-through-passage layout, though the rear doorway has been blocked and stairs inserted in the 20th century, with the lower end extended as a cross-wing. This entire range, including the cross-wing, was formerly open to the roof. The hall has been divided into two rooms in the 20th century. At right angles to the main range, enclosing the hall stack, is the possibly earlier range, also formerly open to the roof, into which the main staircase has partially been inserted. Although much altered, it is suggested by N. Alcock that this may have been the original hall built by the first settlers on this site. This short range connects the main range with the outside kitchen block, which is parallel to the main range and extends northwards, forming a three-sided courtyard.

The main range is two storeys, comprising a six-window range including the cross-wing. The fenestration is of 20th-century date, principally three-light casements with eight panes per light, with one four-light casement to the parlour end. A through-passage porch is provided, its roof being a continuation of the wing roof. A fine inner doorway has a straight head with an ovolo-moulded surround; the date 1627 appears in relief on the lintel, with the letters L and I above scroll stops to the base of each jamb respectively. The original framed-and-ledged three-plank door retains its old lock. To the south side of the ground floor of the connecting range is a four-light timber chamfered mullion window. The kitchen range has a single three-light timber mullion window to the upper storey, with smaller timber diamond mullions between.

The interior of the main range retains remarkably intact 17th-century features that conceal the 15th-century origins. The majority of doorways have chamfered surrounds and scroll-stopped or bar-stopped durns with old plank doors. The doorway from the rear of the hall to the stair turret is particularly impressive, featuring an ovolo-moulded surround with large scroll-stops to the durns. The room to the left of the passage has a chamfered axial scroll-stopped ceiling beam and bressumer, with a chamfered fireplace lintel and a cupboard to the left fitted with butterfly hinges. The hall contains one cased-in beam with moulded plasterwork cornice in the smaller room partitioned from it, retaining a frieze of double foliated scrollwork; the ceiling of the main room collapsed in the late 20th century, exposing a roughly chamfered ceiling beam. Straight moulded plasterwork cornices run to most of the passages. The inner room has an ornamental plasterwork overmantel of three lozenges with end scrollwork and paterae, along with an encased ceiling beam and frieze of foliated scrollwork. A fine 17th-century dog-leg staircase features a wide original tread, a moulded handrail, turned balusters, and newel-posts with small knob finials.

The chamber over the hall has a very fine carved-and-moulded plaster ceiling with a large central ball pendant from which geometrical ribwork radiates, the panels tipped with sprays of fruits and foliage. The frieze displays double-vine-leaf-and-grape decoration. To the south end above the frieze is strapwork ornamentation with a small head of a woman at the top centre; on the opposite wall is a spray with a small head of a man. A former fireplace to the rear wall originally had a Barnstaple fleur-de-lis tiled surround, each tile marked L B, with one dated 1626; these have been removed with plans to reset them elsewhere in the house. Beside the fireplace is believed to be a concealed garderobe. The chamber over the inner room has a coved ceiling decorated with large paterae and Tudor Roses in bold relief, and a moulded plasterwork overmantel with scrolled spray. The chamber to the cross-wing, now subdivided, has a depressed pointed segmental plaster ceiling with a moulded cornice.

The roof structure over the cross-wing and part of the hall reveals particularly fine medieval detailing. The cross-wing has two archbraced jointed cruck trusses, the archbraces with chamfered soffits and steeply cranked morticed-and-tenoned collars, with square-set ridge purlins of Alcock type H apex and windbracing to the lower tier of butt purlins. An intermediate slightly cranked tie-beam sits between the two trusses. Chamfered gavelforks appear at each end of the cross-wing, an unusual feature for North Devon. All roof members are thoroughly smoke-blackened. The feet of three jointed cruck trusses are visible over the main range, though only two of the trusses over the through-passage and lower end of the hall could be examined; these have diagonally set ridge and butt purlins, also thoroughly smoke-blackened, suggesting the entire range including the cross-wing was originally open to the roof.

The rear connecting range has chamfered ceiling beams with straight-cut stops to the inserted floor. The roof structure originally consisted of smoke-blackened rafters with collars and ashlar pieces, but without purlins or ridgepiece; owing to decay only three rafter couples survive. It is remarked by N. Alcock that this roof type, typical of south-east England, occurs in a few early church roofs in Devon but is replaced by other forms by 1400 at the latest; this is the only recorded secular example.

The kitchen range has had its ground floor partition removed, creating a large single room with a short bay behind the stack and a ramp up to the first floor. A massive chamfered fireplace lintel is present. The roof structure comprises three trusses with short curved feet, two tiers of threaded purlins and ridge purlin, and slightly cambered morticed-and-tenoned collars. The roof timbers to the stack side of the partition to the central truss are noticeably smoke-blackened, indicating that the floor is a later insertion. This is an impressive complex of buildings, the plainness of the exterior belying the variety and richness of interior detail to this very substantial medieval house.