Ladymede And Greenacre Including Outbuilding Attached To Rear Of Greenacre

Ladymede and Greenacre, including an outbuilding attached to the rear of Greenacre, are two adjoining cottages on the south side of East Street in Chulmleigh. They were formerly listed as Slomans Tenements and represent an interesting example of a tenement farmhouse that has undergone a complex sequence of development.

The buildings have late medieval origins and were remodelled in the 17th century, with an extension added at the left end in the 18th century and later alterations. They are constructed of painted rendered stone rubble and cob, with hipped thatched roofs. The outbuilding is also thatched with a hipped rear end. A tall stone rubble stack with tapered cap stands at the front left-hand corner, with 2 axial brick stacks and a brick stack at the right end.

The original plan is much obscured by later developments, but the buildings were certainly an open hall house, possibly with 3 rooms and a through-passage plan, before being completely remodelled and extended in the 17th and 18th centuries. Ladymede, at the right (upper) end, appears to incorporate the original hall and possibly the parlour end. It contains a single pair of heavily soot-encrusted rafter-couples and other reused smoke-blackened roof timbers. A late 17th-century upper storey rear window, late 17th-century fireplace lintel, and rough ceiling beam suggest the building was floored at a late date, possibly when it was remodelled into a 2-room plan cottage. The right-hand room is divided axially and heated by the stack at the right end. A staircase runs up the partition wall to the rear of the stack heating the left-hand room, with direct entry into the left-hand room from outside.

Greenacre appears to incorporate the lower end and probable former through-passage, as well as the early 18th-century extension at the left (lower) end, which was built and occupied until the late 20th century as a separate cottage. The roof structure over the lower end suggests an early 17th-century date, and internal features also suggest it was largely rebuilt at this time; however, the roof timbers appear to be lightly smoke-blackened, possibly resulting from percolation of smoke from the open hall, which as suggested, appears to have been floored in the late 17th century. The passage partition has been removed on the lower side, creating a single large room, with a staircase running up the rear wall of the axial stack (heating the left-hand room of Ladymede) to the right of the passage. The 18th-century cottage extension at the left lower end was a single-room plan heated by the stack across the lower left end angle, with an entrance passage at its right end and a steep winder staircase to the right of the passage in the front recess beside the former gable end stack heating the lower end.

Externally, the buildings are 2 storeys with a 5-window range in all. Ladymede retains early 19th-century fenestration intact with two light casements on each floor, although leaded lights were inserted in the 20th century. There is a single 17th-century 3-light chamfered mullion window to the rear upper storey and a 20th-century stable door with hipped thatch hood. Greenacre has principally 20th-century fenestration in 19th-century style, all 3-light casements with 3 panes per light. Plank doors flank a single ground floor window on each side.

Interior features of Ladymede include 19th-century tongue and groove dado panelling, a rough axial ceiling beam, and fireplaces with hollow step-stopped chamfered lintels. The left-hand room contains a cloam oven with a double-handled door. The roof contains a single 18th-century truss with straight principals of light scantling, with a considerable number of reused battens and rafters including a single pair of rafter-couples in situ, all heavily smoke-blackened.

Greenacre's interiors feature chamfered axial ceiling beams and fireplace lintels. The right-hand room contains a cloam oven with a double-handled door. The roof structure over the lower end has 2 apparently 17th-century trusses; the truss situated close to the axial stack at the right end has straight principals, whilst the feet of the other truss are not visible. There are 2 tiers of threaded purlins and ridge purlins. Typical 17th-century dovetail lap-jointed collars have been removed. All roof members, excluding the underside of the thatch, appear to be lightly smoke-blackened. The cottage extension has a single truss with straight principals, a pegged lapped collar, and purlins resting on the back of the principals.

The long low range of outbuildings, extending at right angles to the rear of the lower left end, was formerly lofted and probably used as a small barn, stables, and shippons.