Barn And Bakehouse Approximately 6 Metres South-East Of Ensworthy

SX 68 NE GIDLEIGH

3/256 Barn and bakehouse approximately - 6 metres south-east of Ensworthy

GV II

Barn and bakehouse. Early-mid C17. Granite stone rubble including a proportion of roughly-squared blocks laid to rough course and built on large boulder footings and with large dressed quoins; corrugated iron roof (formerly thatch). Plan: the building faces south-east and is built down the hillslope. The main part, to right, is a threshing barn with large opposing nearly full height doorways onto the threshing floor. It is open to the roof. At the uphill left end there is a 1- room plan bakehouse with an axial stack backing onto the barn. This was originally 2 storeys but the floor has now collapsed. Exterior: the cottage section has a 2-window front of open embrasures and the first floor one has been enlarged to provide a hay loading hatch. The doorway to right of the ground floor window has a plain solid frame and contains an old plank door. A sloping buttress to right marks the division between the bakehouse and barn. The large barn doorway appears to have been heightened a short distance since the monolithic granite jambs are not quite full height. There is a row of pigeon holes high in the wall at the right end. Roof is gable-ended. The right gable-end wall includes a hayloft loading hatch and a series of ventilation slits. Interior: the bakehouse fireplace is built of granite with a soffit-chamfered and step-stopped oak lintel. It includes a massive granite oven under the granite stops of the newel stair. The first floor structure has collapsed but a soffit-chamfered and step-stopped half beam survives against the end wall. There is a blind rubble crosswall between barn and bakehouse. 2-bay roof to bakehouse and 5 bays to barn, all A-frame trusses with pegged lap-jointed collars to the barn section only. Detached bakehouses such as this are very rare and of great interest to students of vernacular architecture. It is even more unusual for one to be associated with a threshing barn.

Listing NGR: SX6602389471