Byways

Byways is a house located in Bovey Tracey, with the right part likely dating back to the 16th century or earlier, while the left part is from the 18th century. It is said to have been divided into four separate cottages in the 19th century, but is now under a single ownership. The building features rendered walls, likely over stone and cob, and has a thatched roof that is half-hipped at the right end. There is a central axial stone stack, a large projecting stone stack at the left gable with a rendered brick top, and a narrow rendered brick stack at the right end. The rear lean-tos are covered with corrugated iron.

The layout of the house suggests that the right end was originally designed with a two-room plan and a central through-entry, which was altered in the 19th century, along with the addition of late 19th and 20th-century lean-tos. The left end also follows a two-room plan and includes a rendered rubblestone rear lean-to.

The exterior of the house is two storeys high. The right side has a two-window front featuring early 20th-century side-hung casements and a plank door located to the right of centre. The left side has a three-window front with a central early 20th-century door and small-paned two-light casements, each with six panes per light.

Although the interior was not inspected, it is noted to have several features. On the right end, the ground-floor room to the left has simple arrow stops on the chamfered bridging beam and joists, a winder stair next to a blocked fireplace, and a recess with a moulded architrave that likely indicates a former doorway. The timber partition between the two rooms includes cupboards with HL hinges, and there is a step in the ceiling level, suggesting a possible former internal jetty. The right-hand room has a rough chamfered beam and a winder stair. The first floor features a timber lintel with a narrow chamfer and a simple mantel, along with exposed heavy principals of what is likely the original roof. The left end showcases 18th-century joinery, including raised and fielded panels on doors, and alcoves on both the ground and first floors that contain ogee-decorated cupboards. The building also has 18th-century pegged A-frame trusses.