Mowlish Manor

House of late 15th-century origin, remodelled and possibly extended in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, with early 17th-century refurbishment and partial re-roofing, and late 20th-century alterations. The building is constructed of red sandstone ashlar, with grey limestone ashlar to the first floor of the wing, and a rear elevation that is colourwashed and rendered. It has two axial stacks and a slate roof, which was thatched until the 1920s.

The plan is H-shaped, consisting of a single-depth main range two rooms wide with a through passage, flanked by left and right crosswings. The right (west) crosswing is a converted 18th or early 19th-century barn. The complex evolution of the building shows the main range originating as a late medieval open hall of at least three bays from the left end stack, with the medieval roof extended or rebuilt at the right end. The two-room plan of the left crosswing is either slightly later or contemporary with the hall, providing a parlour with a solar above at the front and lower status rooms to the rear. An external stair turret on the rear wall of the hall gives access to the first floor of the wing. The hall ceiling, of late 16th-century character, was followed by an early 17th-century programme of alterations that included the cross passage screens. The position of the 17th-century kitchen remains unclear. Late 20th-century work has introduced features from elsewhere, created extensions, and re-partitioned the east wing, whilst converting the barn into a mock great hall complete with gallery and chimneypiece.

The exterior presents two storeys with an asymmetrical three-window front. A two-storey porch to the right of centre has a coped semi-circular gable, rounded outer stone doorframe, and a fine 16th-century moulded inner doorframe with urn stops and a 16th-century panelled front door. The two ground floor windows to the left of the porch and one to the right have square-headed hoodmoulds and 20th-century timber casements with leaded panes. Three gabled dormers with 20th-century timber casements and a three-light first-floor window to the porch are visible. At the right end, the former barn wing projects to the front and displays a 19th-century two-light traceried window said to have originated from the dower house of Castle Howard. The inner return of the east wing has one ground floor window (formerly a door) and one first floor window; it has been extended by a late 20th-century single-storey addition. A brick bread oven projects from the left end stack in the angle between the main range and the east wing. The rear elevation features a 20th-century rear door to the passage with a pediment, 20th-century ground floor windows with Gothick glazing bars, and five gabled attic dormers with 20th-century casements. The stair turret is rectangular on plan and now has a flat lead roof. The outer return of the east wing displays five ground floor high transomed casements with leaded panes; those to the rear may be late 17th-century, whilst the others are probably copies. First floor windows are 20th-century casements with Gothick glazing bars.

High-quality 16th and 17th-century features survive in the interior. The early 17th-century passage screens are of exceptional quality, being panelled and moulded; part of the higher end screen panelling has been moved and re-sited on the stair, which has an unusual handrail and turned balusters and may be a 20th-century invention using old materials. The hall, to the left, preserves the remains of a late 16th-century decorated plaster ceiling and a wall frieze, together with a splendid plaster strapwork overmantel dated 1620 bearing the arms of the Lutton family. A red sandstone open fireplace with hollow chamfered lintel and jambs is present. Chamfered two-centred sandstone doorframes lead into the stair on the rear wall and the parlour at the left end. The parlour contains a fireplace back to back with the hall fireplace, featuring an iron lintel and bread oven, moulded crossbeams, and an incomplete plaster cornice that extends to flank the crossbeams. The rear room in the wing has a rough crossbeam and good 18th-century doors said to have been introduced from the dower house at Castle Howard. The right-hand room has a rebuilt fireplace with a moulded lintel and no exposed joinery. The first floor of the east wing has been re-partitioned, though an original closed partition survives, dividing a fine four-bay 16th-century arch-braced wind-braced jointed cruck roof to the front from a plainer two-bay jointed cruck roof to the rear; numbering on the trusses indicates that the roof is of one date. The roof of the main range is somewhat obscured by later supporting timbers, but at the left end three smoke-blackened trusses survive (probably jointed crucks) with collars mortised into the principals. The former ridge was held on a V-shaped notch in a strengthening piece and the former purlins were threaded. Mortises visible on one of the trusses show that the original form was arch-braced and wind-braced. One of the trusses has a scarf joint in the principal rafter above collar level. The other trusses are 17th-century with lap dovetailed collars, although one has a re-used smoke-blackened timber for the collar.

Mowlish was a Domesday Manor and passed into the possession of the Lutton family during the reign of Henry IV. In the early 18th century it belonged to Mr Long, Sheriff of Devon, who also owned Brickhouse and Newhouse. It was rented to a tenant farmer in 1796 when Swete visited and sketched it, describing all but the main range and east wing as "of the lowest order - mere modern erections for the accommodation of a Farmer". Swete's watercolour shows the main range much as at present with what appears to be a detached farmbuilding at the right end.