Barn Approximately 3 Metres North Of Yeo Farmhouse

Barn and stables, approximately 3 metres north of Yeo Farmhouse. Originally a first-floor hall-house, probably dating from the late 15th to early 16th century. It was converted to agricultural use, probably in the 17th century, and refurbished in the late 19th century.

The walls are built of massive blocks of granite ashlar on footings of massive boulders, with patches and alterations of granite stone rubble. There is a disused granite stack. The roof is now corrugated iron, though it was formerly thatched.

The original plan is difficult to determine due to alterations made during its conversion to agricultural use. The building faces south-east. It appears the very low ground floor originally had a three-room plan, possibly with a through passage, but the main accommodation was on the first floor, where there was probably a large hall and, at the north-eastern end, a chamber with an end stack and a garderobe alongside. Below the putative hall-chamber partition is an original granite ashlar crosswall that rises to first-floor level. The floor has been replaced and some areas are now unfloored.

Probably in the 17th century, the building was converted to a threshing barn, with a full-height large doorway built onto the front, directly opposite a now-blocked original rear doorway. This front door was reduced in size in the late 19th century, possibly when the barn was converted to its present use as stables.

The south-east front shows the results of its agricultural use. Some original ashlar work remains, but the only clearly recognisable original feature is the low ground-floor doorway at the right end. It is surrounded by granite ashlar and has an external granite lintel and an internal oak lintel, both soffit-chamfered, with shallow rebates on the sides for a doorframe. The other features are agricultural in character, built of granite rubble along with most of the upper wall section. Left of centre is a 20th-century stable door with a hayloft loading hatch above, filling in part of the probably 17th-century barn door. Another hayloft loading hatch stands to the right. There is also an irregular series of pigeon holes in the rubblework under the eaves. The roof is gable-ended. The left south-western end is blank, and the right end contains only a single small original window aperture high up, lighting the first-floor chamber. The rear wall contains much secondary patching and is blank. It does contain one original blocked doorway, directly opposite the front stable door.

The interior largely reflects the 19th-century refurbishment. All the carpentry detail, including the A-frame truss roof, dates from this period. However, the granite crosswall towards the right end is original, rising only to first-floor level and apparently blind. In the right end wall is an alcove belonging to the former low ground-floor room. The chamber above has a large fireplace hooded with granite corbels and lintel, with a window high to its right and, at the left end, a garderobe alcove. The garderobe is confirmed as such by a disused channel outside this corner that connects to the nearby stream. In some places, granite ashlar appears on the inside where secondary rubble patching shows on the outside and vice versa, suggesting that careful recording of the fabric might reveal more original features.

This barn is the oldest building in a significant group of listed farm and mill buildings that make up Yeo Farm, which includes the farmhouse, the office and garden railings, the mill, the smithy and cartshed, and the Old School House. It was presumably the original farmhouse, converted to agricultural use when the present farmhouse, a former Dartmoor longhouse, was built. It is an important building in its own right as a rare Devon example of a late medieval first-floor hall-house, and also important in understanding the development of the farm at Yeo. According to the owners, the farm has been in the continuous occupation of the Perryman family since approximately 1450.