Bracondale Langmead

SX 6493-6593 SOUTH TAWTON SOUTH ZEAL

8/232 Langmead and Bracondale

GV II

2 cottages, once a single house. Probably C17, maybe earlier, modernised in C19 probably when the house was subdivided. Plastered walls, probably granite stone rubble, maybe with cob; granite stone rubble stacks, one still with its original granite ashlar chimneyshaft; thatch roof. Plan and development: L-shaped building containing 2 cottages. The main block is parallel to but set back from the street. Longmead occupies the left end room which has a gable-end stack and a 1-room plan rear block projecting at right angles to rear which has an outer lateral stack. Bracondale occupies the rest of the main block, this section breaking forward very slightly from the left room. It has a 2- room plan with cross passage and stairs between. The larger left room has an axial stack backing onto the passage. Although no internal inspection was possible at the time of this survey it seems likely that these cottages occupy a late medieval 3- room-and-through-passage plan with the inner room at the left end with secondary kitchen behind (Langmead); Bracondale apparently occupies the former hall, passage and service end room. Both cottages are 2 storeys. Exterior: irregular 3-window front overall of C20 casements with glazing bars. The front door to Langmead is C20 and the front doorway to Bracondale, the putative passage front door, contains a C19 part-glazed 6-panel door. The roof is gable- ended. Interiors: of both cottages were not available for inspection at the time of this survey although most of the carpentry detail is said to be hidden under C19 plaster. However the village includes several other heavily disguised late medieval hall houses with high quality craftsmanship. South Zeal is special being one of the few medieval boroughs in Devon where a high number of its C16 and C17 houses survive.

Listing NGR: SX6500993617