North Down Farmhouse

Farmhouse. The core of the farmhouse dates to the late medieval period, with significant remodelling occurring in the late 17th century and alterations in the 18th century. The walls are whitewashed cob on stone rubble footings, with a corrugated iron roof over what was formerly a thatched hipped section at the left end, a gable at the right end over an adjoining barn, and a gable at the end of the rear wing. There's an axial stone stack.

Originally an open hall house with two bays and likely a two-story inner room, the structure was altered in the 17th century when the hall was ceiled over and a hall stack was inserted, backing onto what is now a passage at the left-hand end. A lower end that previously existed was probably dismantled in the 18th century when an unheated service wing was added, forming an L-shaped plan. The heated inner room, originally with its own axial stack, is now integrated into the barn at the right and the stack has been partly dismantled. A cob stack, now truncated, exists on the right gable end wall of the barn, potentially indicating a third heated room added to the main range, or the remains of a probable 18th-century single-cell cottage attached to the main range. A stack was inserted into the rear wing, likely in the late 19th or early 20th century when it was converted into a kitchen.

The front facade is asymmetrical with two windows, featuring regular fenestration. There’s a wide 6-panel front door leading to the passage on the left, a circa-late 19th century 3-light hall window to the right of the door (6 panes per light), and a 20th-century window to the right. Two first-floor windows are late 19th or early 20th century 2-light casements with glazing bars. The barn adjoining the right has been partly rebuilt in concrete block.

Inside, there’s a smoke-blackened collar rafter roof truss over the hall, with a slightly cambered collar halved and pegged into the principal rafters, which are mortised at the apex with a diagonally-set ridge. The battens and ridge are smoke-blackened, but the original medieval thatch has been replaced. A similar closed truss between the hall and inner room is not sooted on the inner side. The roofspace over the rear wing appears to be 18th century. The hall contains an open fireplace with stone rubble jambs and a timber lintel, along with a roughly chamfered cross beam and a cream oven. A newel stair rises in the rear right angle of the hall with a keeping place on the wall. A first-floor room to the left has a late 17th century fireplace with stone rubble jambs and a chamfered lintel with bar scroll stops. The rear of the cross passage has been converted to a bedroom. The interior retains old wall plaster and the surviving medieval roof timbers are a rare feature in West Devon.