Former Farmhouse Used As Shippon Approximately 3O Metres North Of Shilstone Farmhouse

This is a former farmhouse, later converted into a shippon, located approximately 30 metres north of Shilstone Farmhouse. The building’s core dates back to the early 16th century, with extensions or rebuilding occurring in the 17th century, and a significant conversion into a shippon in the 1880s. It is constructed of unrendered stone rubble and cob, with brick dressings. The roof is a combination of slate and corrugated iron, with gable ends and a higher ridge on the slate portion.

The original layout consisted of an open hall to the right, which was later fitted with a floor and front lateral stack. A narrower parlour range was added or rebuilt to the left, set further back than the hall’s front wall, indicating the presence of a right-angled wing that partially survived during the shippon conversion. During the 1880s conversion, walls were partially rebuilt and openings altered.

The exterior features a loft door above a plank door to the right of a projecting front lateral stack, the chimney shaft of which has been demolished. There are two ground floor windows to the left, with brick dressings.

Inside, the hall retains a raised cruck roof, with smoke-blackened timbers, two tiers of purlins, and a ridge purlin. A rough chamfered cross ceiling beam likely replaced the original. The parlour retains a chamfered cross ceiling beam, bressumers with hollow bar stops (some cut away), and scratch-moulded joists. Part of the fireplace lintel remains, cut away to create a doorway into the front wing. The 17th-century roof truss over the parlour is of an unusual construction, reflecting its narrower width, with a full principal to the rear and a smaller principal resting on the stack. Both formerly had two tiers of purlins and a ridge purlin, with lap-jointed collars.

The survival of the original farmhouse at this location reflects the policy of the Rolle Estate to relocate farmhouses and convert the originals into farm storage, a practice evident elsewhere on the estate.