Hay Cottage

Hay Cottage

This house, originally a farmhouse and latterly divided into two cottages, dates from around 1500 with substantial modifications during the 17th century, extensions and possible division into two dwellings in the 18th century, and modernisation in the 20th century. It stands in Ipplepen, Devon.

The building has rendered rubble walls and a gable-ended corrugated iron roof which drops in level to the right-hand side of a lateral stack. There are three rendered rubble stacks: two axial stacks (formerly gable-end stacks) and one slightly projecting lateral stack at the front.

The original plan consisted of three rooms with a through-passage, with the lower end to the right. The hall and lower end were originally open to the roof, and possibly the higher end also. Around the middle of the 17th century, a floor was inserted and a lateral hall stack was inserted at the front with a gable-end stack added to the lower room. Newel stairs were added at the rear of the hall. In the 18th century the house was extended at the higher (left) end with a stack inserted at the upper end of the inner room, forming back-to-back fireplaces. The passage was probably narrowed at this stage by removing its lower end partition and inserting another slightly further up to enlarge the lower room. The house was probably converted into two cottages at this time. A probable 19th-century outbuilding was added at the right end.

The building is two storeys. The asymmetrical front has five windows of late 20th-century two-light casements with glazing bars, except for the first floor right which dates from the early 20th century. The door towards the right end is a 20th-century part-glazed door set behind a 20th-century glazed porch, with the hall stack to its left. The far right end is an outbuilding extension with a rough 20th-century plank door. A 20th-century single-storey extension projects from the left end. At the rear is a 19th-century outshut behind the passage and lower end, to its right is a 17th-century gabled stair projection.

The interior is relatively unspoilt and contains good features from various periods. One original smoke-blackened roof truss survives, consisting of substantial principals with a curved foot visible at the rear. No purlins or collar are visible. The apex is morticed with a triangular strengthening block, and the ridge has gone but was probably diagonal. Some smoke-blackened rafters survive either side of the truss. The other trusses are rough 18th or 19th-century straight principals, and a higher 20th-century roof has been placed on top.

Between the hall and inner room the muntins survive from a probably original low plank and muntin screen. The muntins are chamfered with diagonal cut stops, and the head-beam is chamfered above each panel but does not reach the height of the 17th-century ceiling beams. The inner room fireplace has a very narrow chamfer to the wooden lintel with run-out stops. A similar fireplace on the reverse of the stack in the extension is also present. The hall fireplace has a chamfered wooden lintel with jewel stops. A cloam oven is located in the left-hand side of the fireplace. An ovolo-moulded cross beam to the hall has spade stops. A similar half-beam at the higher end of the hall, positioned in front of the screen, is of unclear purpose as there is no evidence for a jetty on the first floor.

At the rear of the hall is a 17th-century wood doorframe leading to newel stairs. It is square-headed with ovolo moulding and jewel stops, and has a contemporary door of two planks with a frame of muntins, rails and stiles on the front which have beaded edges. At the top of the stairs is a similar doorway but without a door. At the rear of the passage is a 17th-century wooden square-headed doorframe, chamfered with convex stops. This was narrowed when the passage was altered, as the left-hand jamb has been moved inwards. A similar door survives here as at the bottom of the newel stairs, but it has been reduced in width like the doorway, so the panels on its left side are incomplete.

The lower room has a very wide fireplace with a broad chamfer to the wood lintel which has convex stops. Stone ovens are located in either side of the fireplace. A chamfered cross beam without stops and a chamfered half-beam marking the position of a former screen are present in front of the present partition. An early 18th-century panelled wood partition to the lower room has a central rail with a small ovolo mould to the rail, muntins, stiles and head beam. This house preserves a number of good features from various periods which illustrate well its evolution.