Matford Barton

Matford Barton is a farmhouse that has been divided into two properties. It was rebuilt around the mid-18th century from a 17th-century house. The building features whitewashed Heavitree brecchia with a pyramidal slate roof and a large chimney stack at the apex that has several flues. The layout consists of a double depth, four-room plan typical of the mid-18th century, with a central corridor. The principal heated rooms are located at the front, while the service rooms are at the rear, including the original kitchen in the rear left room. A straight stair rises behind the rear wall of the front right room at a right angle to the central corridor.

Beneath the two right-hand rooms is a cellar that dates back to the 17th century, which may have originally served as two service rooms or possibly two principal rooms. Although the cellar is now entirely below ground level, it was not originally so. A former dairy in a lean-to at the right end has been converted into a cottage, and there is a two-storey late 20th-century addition at the left end. The main range has been subdivided into two houses and stands two storeys high.

The symmetrical three-bay front has very deep eaves supported by paired brackets. The central doorway is round-headed and features a semi-circular fanlight. The ground floor windows on either side of the doorway are paired sashes with four over six panes each. The first-floor windows are round-headed sashes with spoke glazing bars in the heads. The rear elevation mirrors the front with a similar doorway and small-pane sashes.

Inside, the plan remains largely intact, although the interior has been extensively refurbished in the late 20th century, incorporating features from other locations. The cellar has a pitched stone floor with drains, and the two cellar rooms are separated by a stone wall. Each room has a deeply-chamfered cross beam, and the rear room contains a 17th-century window with octagonal wooden mullions, stanchions, and saddle bars, although this window is now below ground level. There is no clear evidence that either cellar room was heated, although a lateral stack may be missing. A 20th-century fireplace has been added against the partition wall. Overall, Matford Barton is a compact house with a striking exterior that is easily noticeable from the road.