Morwell Barton

Morwell Barton is a substantial house built around a courtyard, incorporating a gatehouse, secondary living accommodation and a barn. The complex has late 15th-century origins, with the house and gatehouse dating from this period. Early 16th-century alterations included the formation of wings to the right and left to enclose the courtyard. Further significant changes occurred in the early 17th century, probably when the open hall was floored over and chimney stacks were built. The barn range was rebuilt in the late 18th century, with probable early 19th-century re-roofing over the original structure. Considerable alterations to the interior were carried out throughout the 19th century, with further changes in the late 20th century.

The buildings are constructed of granite and slatestone rubble with granite and Hurdwick stone dressings, under slate roofs with raised coped verges to the house. There are three ridge stacks and gable end stacks in granite ashlar with cornices and shaped tops featuring roll-mouldings. The gable end stack to the right has been rebuilt; it was originally constructed as a dummy for symmetry.

Layout and Plan

The courtyard plan has the gatehouse front to the north-west and the front of the house on the outer side to the south-east. A wing extends to the south-west (right) and the barn range to the north-east (left). Originally this was an open-hall house with a three-room and through-passage plan, though little internal evidence of this arrangement remains. The gatehouse was originally separate from the main house, connected by a wing possibly originally comprising three cells of accommodation, each with a granite stair (now removed). The barn wing was completely rebuilt in the late 18th century; it may originally have been stabling or have contained a separate chapel. A two-storey entrance porch is set in the angle to the rear right in the courtyard, probably dating from the late 17th century. Remodelling created two rooms to each side of the former passage, with the lower end to the right unheated and formerly used as a dairy.

Main House

The house is of two storeys with a five-window front. All windows are set in granite surrounds which are hollow-chamfered, with 20th-century leaded lights; some windows are entirely 19th and 20th-century replacements.

The bay to the left has two-light windows with four-centred arched heads and hood-moulds at ground and first floor; those at first floor are 17th-century. The central bay has a gable over, with a large three-light replacement window with four-centred arched heads at ground floor. At first floor there is a three-light window with tall four-centred arched lights, with trefoils in the spandrels and a hood-mould, positioned above a blocked single two-centred arched light with hood-mould. The bay to the right has a granite four-centred arched doorway and a two-light four-centred arched granite window above.

A single-storey outhouse projects to the right with internal access from the lower end. It has a door with ventilation slits under the eaves. The gable end contains a reset late 15th or early 16th-century single cusped granite light with hood-mould, which is blocked with a ventilation slit inserted. The rear of the outhouse has four open bays with square granite piers. The end bay to the right has at first floor a two-light granite window with pointed arches (not chamfered) and a hood-mould, now blocked.

At the upper end there are remains of two relieving arches at ground floor, possibly original window openings to the hall and inner room. The arches are in Hurdwick stone, as is the eaves cornice. Granite quoins left and right indicate this was originally a separate building. The cornice may indicate alterations to the front of the building in the second phase, also carried round the wings on the inner courtyard side. Granite quoins at the gable end to the left indicate the house range was originally a separate building.

The gable end to the right has a 19th-century door and window with granite lintels, and a loading door at first floor, probably inserted when the barn range was rebuilt at that side. Above, at attic level, is a single light with four-centred arched lights.

To the rear are two bays to the left, with two-light windows at ground floor having pointed arched heads and hood-moulds (not chamfered), probably from the first phase of building. At first floor are two-light windows with four-centred arched heads, hood-moulds and relieving arches in Hurdwick stone, both with recessed spandrels. There are Hurdwick stone eaves cornices.

The two-storey porch block is set in the angle to the right, with granite quoins and raised coped verges and a gable end to the left. The front has a tall four-centred arched granite doorway, roll-moulded with trefoils in the spandrels and a hood-mould, a 19th-century lancet to the right and a two-light two-centred arched granite window. The left gable end has a two-light 20th-century granite window with pointed arched lights at ground floor and a single 20th-century hollow-chamfered light at first floor.

South-West Wing

The south-west wing is of two storeys (now separate accommodation) and appears to have been rebuilt at various stages on the inner courtyard side, comprising six bays. There are three blocked door openings: two with four-centred arched heads and one to the right with a pointed arch, all hollow-chamfered. The second bay from the right has a two-light granite window with two-centred arched heads at ground and first floor, with hood-moulds (a replacement at first floor). The central bay has a two-light window with cusped heads and hood-mould at ground and first floor, with the hollow-chamfered mullions replaced. The end bay to the left has a 20th-century replacement two-light four-centred arched window at ground and first floor with a ventilation door below.

The wall is curved round the inner corner at the end right and corbelled out, at the site of a former stair with a trefoil-headed stair light at upper level (blocked) and a blocked lancet. The wing continues at right angles to form the junction with the gatehouse, with a hollow-chamfered four-centred arched granite doorway with a 20th-century window inserted and a Tudor-arched light with recessed spandrels and hood-mould. The stonework alters at the junction with the gatehouse. The wing has three ashlar ridge stacks heating each cell and a Hurdwick stone eaves cornice along the whole side.

The outer side of the south-west wing has all replacement granite windows: four two-light windows at first floor, alternating two-centred and four-centred heads. The ground floor has four doors (hollow-chamfered) with four-centred arched heads, and windows as at first floor in the same bays. The gable end (to the north-west) has a former opening at ground floor and a three-light granite window at first floor with four-centred arched heads and hood-mould. The bay to the left of the gable end (forming the junction with the gatehouse) has a two-light four-centred arched window at ground and first floor, 20th-century at ground floor and original at first floor, with a Hurdwick stone eaves cornice.

North-East Barn Range

The north-east barn range at the inner courtyard side shows rebuilding to the right, with two stepped joints and an uneven junction with the house, possibly indicating a former chapel. To the right is a pointed arched doorway, roll and hollow-moulded with a hood-mould, and a blocked two-light cusped window above with rebuilt jambs. To the left, an inserted barn has two sets of three ventilation slits and small rectangular openings under the eaves, with quoins to the left. Two bays connecting the barn to the gatehouse have a single two-centred arched light at first floor.

The interior of these two bays is separate from the barn, with remains of a cambered granite door head at upper level (stair removed) and a two-bay 20th-century roof. The outer side of the barn range has a single-storey 19th-century shed attached to the right with three doors at eaves height and ventilation slits. The shed range terminates in two-storey later 19th-century stabling with a central segmental-headed door, a door and ventilation slit to the right and four windows under the eaves. Attached to the rear of this building is a hexagonal round-house with granite piers infilled with concrete and a plate roof. The gable end of the building has a rebuilt cart entry with ventilation slits right and left.

The single-storey shed partially conceals remains of a wide four-centred arched Hurdwick stone gateway from the first phase of building of this wing. To the left is a 20th-century cart entry to the barn and three 19th-century doors with cambered heads (one blocked), ventilation slits, a loading door and single light under the eaves to the end left. The gable end of the barn has a three-light granite four-centred arched window, blocked with ventilation slits set behind. The bay connecting the barn to the gatehouse has also been rebuilt, with a two-light window with four-centred arched lights, also blocked with ventilation slits inserted.

Gatehouse

The gatehouse is of two storeys with polygonal stair turrets right and left, each with a first-floor string course and embattled crocketted pinnacles. There is a small lancet to the left of the central wide two-centred arched gateway, which is roll and hollow-moulded with quatrefoils in the spandrels and a hood-mould with square carved stops. The repaired studded doors have strap hinges. Above is a three-light window with four-centred arched lights, blocked with ventilation slits, with a gable over featuring raised coped verges and a finial.

The courtyard side of the gatehouse has a similar opening, with a plain outer and chamfered inner order to the arch, and a single chamfered trefoil-headed light above (blocked) with a six-pane light inserted. There is a gable over and two ashlar stacks heating rooms at first floor.

The interior of the gatehouse has two quadripartite vaults in Hurdwick stone, springing from a ribbed granite shaft on a moulded base at each corner. The hollow-chamfered ribs have central corbels with shields at the intersections along the principal rib and at the outer sides. There are hollow-chamfered four-centred arched doors to the front right and left (blocked to the right), leading to a granite winder stair.

The chamber at first floor has a chamfered granite fireplace with an oven to the rear, a garderobe shaft with a four-centred arched wooden doorframe, a blocked doorway to the south-west wing and a pointed arched doorway at the top of the stair. The roof is 20th-century, though the shape of the partition wall indicates there was formerly an arched-brace roof.

Interior of Main House

The interior of the house is much altered. The fireplace at the gable end, possibly the former inner room, is in granite, roll-moulded with a cambered head and recessed spandrels. The fireplace beneath the ridge stack is also roll-moulded and hollow-chamfered with a flat head, probably heating the original lower end room. The room at the far lower end, formerly the dairy, has a four-centred arched hollow-chamfered granite doorway.

In the roof, only three bays of early date remain over the former hall. The trusses have chamfered arched-braces, chamfered and cambered collars, remains of a brattished wall-plate, three rows of purlins (some chamfered), and halved principals. Preserved in the house are further remains of the wall-plate with fine carved foliage.

Historical Context

Morwell Barton was the country residence of the Abbots of Tavistock. The Abbot received a licence for a chapel in 1391, and the core of the building may date from this time.