Seccombe Farmhouse

GERMANSWEEK SX 49 SW

6/83 Seccombe Farmhouse - 31.7.85 II

Farmhouse. Circa early-mid C17 with earlier origins, remodelled and extended in C19. Plastered stone rubble and cob walls. Low-pitched gable-ended slate roof, lower end coated in bitumen. 3 chimney stacks: one of rendered rubble at left gable end and one rubble central axial stack, both have brick shafts. Brick stack to right gable end. Plan: 3-room-and-through or cross-passage plan, lower end to the right with 2 storey projecting hall bay. Axial hall stack backing onto passage; gable end stacks to lower and inner rooms, the latter may be a later insertion. Newel stairs beside inner room stack at rear. In circa mid C19 eaves were raised, passaged widened and stairs inserted into front of inner room. Also in the C19 a 2 storey parallel range was added behind the lower end and a doorway inserted into the front of inner room. 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 4 window front with large gabled 2 storey hall bay projecting to left of centre. Mid C19 horned sashes of 16 and 20 panes, 4 panes to hall projection on 1st floor with stone dripmould above. C20 fixed-light window of 9 panes to left on ground floor. Above it is a pentice slate roof extending across the left-hand side of the house over C20 plank door to the left of the window. To the right of the hall bay is C19 fielded 6-panel door to passage and C20 canopy above on wrought iron brackets. At rear is outshut to centre and right behind hall and inner room and parallel 2 storey range with hipped roof to left behind lower room. Interior: Ceiling beam in front projecting bay of hall is chamfered with hollow step stops. Newel stairs in inner room have timber treads. Hall fireplace is blocked, lower room fireplace has roughly chamfered wooden lintel. Mid C19 stairs in widened passage. Most of the C19 and some C18 joinery survives including doors, cupboards and staircase. Roof timbers not inspected but the feet of trusses not visible in 1st floor rooms and the timbers may have been replaced when the roof pitch was altered in the C19. The Seccombes have lived on this site since the C13 which makes the house one of the longest continuously occupied by one family in Devon; some of its fabric may be medieval although its C17 form and subsequent development is interesting and it has been little altered since the C19.

Listing NGR: SX4313093472