Bidbeare Farmhouse

Bidbeare Farmhouse is a farmhouse, likely dating from the early 17th century, with possible earlier origins. It has undergone alterations in the 19th century and 20th century, including a 19th-century addition and a 20th-century addition to the rear. The building is constructed of plastered cob and rubble walls, with a gable-ended roof covered in asbestos slate. It features a brick stack at the left gable end, a rubble rear lateral stack, and another lateral stack at the side of the rear wing with a brick shaft.

The original layout is not entirely clear but likely consisted of either two or three rooms with a through-passage, with a lower room to the right. The arrangement of the rooms at the upper end is complicated, consisting of two rooms, the larger of which, presumably the hall, is centrally located and heated by a rear lateral stack. Adjacent to the hall and passage is a narrow room containing a particularly fine early 17th-century fireplace, suggesting it may have originally been intended for a more important space and that the room arrangement was subsequently altered. A large kitchen wing, with no features earlier than the 19th century, was added to the rear, though it may be older. The lower end of the house appears to have been rebuilt in the later 19th century, and a small addition was added to the rear in the late 20th century. Internal alterations, including the insertion of stairs into the passage, have also taken place in the 20th century.

The front of the house has an asymmetrical four-window arrangement, primarily featuring 19th-century sash windows with 6:4:6 panes on the first floor and 8 panes on the ground floor to the left of centre. A late 20th-century casement window is located on the first floor to the left and late 20th-century French windows have been inserted on the ground floor to the right. A narrow, glazed door was added in the 20th century to the left, and a late 19th or early 20th-century gabled stone porch with a segmental arch and a 19th-century panel door is situated to the right of centre.

The most notable interior feature is the fine early 17th-century fireplace in the left-hand end room, featuring chamfered and ball-stopped granite jambs with jowelled stops at the top to support a hollow chamfered and ogee-stopped wooden lintel. Only the top section of the jamb survives to the right. The plaster overmantle depicts a male and female figure flanking strapwork motifs, with a heraldic shield at the centre bearing the arms of Gidleigh and Northleigh, possibly commemorating a wedding. This family was responsible for erecting a memorial chapel in Winkleigh Church. Virtually all other early features are concealed; the hall likely contains hidden ceiling beams and a fireplace, and a possible early doorway has been noted by the current occupants.