Tordown House

Tordown House is a house, originally a Dartmoor longhouse, likely dating to the mid-17th century, with possible earlier origins. It was renovated around 1970. The house is constructed of granite stone rubble, whitewashed on the front, with granite stacks, one featuring an original granite ashlar chimney shaft, and a thatched roof. Originally a three-room-and-through-passage plan, it was built down the hillslope facing east. The room furthest uphill on the left (south) end is terraced into the slope and has a gable-end stack. A former staircase rose alongside, with its turret projecting slightly forward. The hall has an axial stack backing onto the passage. The former shippon (animal shelter) was converted to domestic use around 1970, and there are 20th-century outshots to the rear. While no features conclusively date earlier than the mid-17th century, the layout suggests it may have begun as an open hall house. The main house is now two storeys, and the former shippon is open to the roof. The front facade has an irregular arrangement of late 19th and 20th-century casement windows with glazing bars. A 20th-century door with a flat hood is centrally located in the passage front. The roof is gable-ended on the left and hipped on the right. The wall of the former shippon now includes a large window of circa 1970. Inside, the hall features a large granite ashlar fireplace containing a 19th-century cloam oven, which could potentially date back to the 16th century, although its plain finish prevents more precise dating. A crossbeam is stop-chamfered with run-out stops, indicating a mid to late 17th-century origin. Much of the upper hall crosswall has been removed, but the head beam lacks mortices, suggesting a mid to late 17th-century date. The inner room lacks carpentry details and has a missing fireplace lintel. The roof is mostly 20th century, but retains a 17th-century A-frame truss over the hall.