Bowden Farmhouse

Bowden Farmhouse is a farmhouse dating from the late 16th century or early 17th century, with significant alterations made in the 20th century. It is constructed of rendered stone rubble and has a slate roof featuring small rendered stacks at each end, along with a rear lateral brick hall stack enclosed in a dairy outshut. The building has a roughly symmetrical two-room and through-passage plan, with the hall on the left heated by the central rear stack, which has been later divided into two rooms by a brick partition. A straight staircase is offset to the right of the through-passage. At the rear of the right-hand room, there is a right-angled service wing, likely an addition from the 18th or early 19th century, creating an overall L-shaped plan. The farmhouse is two storeys high and has a five-window range. The windows are primarily 20th-century, except for a two-light casement with eight panes per light and a three-light casement with three panes per light located on the ground floor to the right of the gabled porch with a slate roof. There are two buttresses at the right end of the building.

Inside, the farmhouse has undergone many changes in the 20th century, including the removal of a fine plank and muntin screen with fluted panelling that once separated the hall and through-passage, likely dating from the late 16th century. The hall features chamfered cross-beams and a bressumer with pyramid stops. The roof trusses have been entirely replaced in the 19th or early 20th century. Despite these alterations and the unfortunate removal of the screen, the house is listed for its historical significance as the birthplace of Bishop Jewel (1522-1571), who was the Bishop of Salisbury and author of the Apologia published in 1562. The screen is currently being repaired as of January 1986, with plans to reinstall it in Berrybarbor Manor Hall.