Ackland Barton

Ackland Barton is a farmhouse, likely dating from the early 17th century, with a range to the right rebuilt or added in the late 18th century, and later alterations from the late 19th/early 20th century. The building is constructed of rendered stone and cob, with the rear unrendered. It has an asbestos slate roof with gable ends, formerly hipped at the right end. There is a small brick stack at the left end, an axial brick stack, and a lateral brick stack to the rear upper end.

Originally, the 17th-century plan of the left-hand range was obscured by later changes, seemingly consisting of a service room and a hall heated by the axial stack. A late 18th-century remodelling converted the house into two occupancies, reducing the hall’s size by adding an entrance passage containing a staircase. Two principal rooms were added or rebuilt to the right of the hall stack, reportedly following a fire. The right-hand end room, formerly a separate cottage, was divided in the early 20th century to form small service rooms with direct entry. A staircase was then introduced to the left of the entrance, replacing a previous staircase in the left-hand room that ran beside the axial stack of the original hall, with a former entrance hall to a central doorway. This passage may have occupied the site of the original cross-passage, reflecting a conventional plan. The removal of stairs and partitions has resulted in direct entry into the left-hand principal room, which is heated by a fireplace set in the rear right-hand corner and relating to the rear brick stack.

The farmhouse is two stories high with a five-window range, mostly featuring 2-light casements, although the first bay on the left has modern windows. There are three doors: a 20th-century door on the left, and two 19th-century plank doors to the right.

Inside, the original hall retains a cross ceiling beam with a wide chamfer and hollow step stops. The fireplace has roughly dressed stone jambs, a replaced lintel, and a large brick-line oven. There is a chamfered scroll-stopped doorway leading to the chamber over the lower end. A single 17th-century roof truss exists, featuring two tiers of trenched purlins and halved and lap-jointed collar joints. There is no visible smoke-blackening. The roof structure over the right-hand range is entirely late 18th/early 19th century, with roughly pegged trusses and waney rafters.