Higher Parford Farmhouse

SX 78 NW 7/131

DREWSTEIGNTON SANDYPARK

Higher Parford Farmhouse

GV II

Farmhouse. Probably C16 and C17. Plastered stone rubble, maybe with cob; stone rubble stacks topped with C19 brick (in fact the hall chimney shaft is granite ashlar at the base and brick above but its original granite coping with crenellated top has been reset on top of the brick); thatch roof. Plan and development: 3-room-and-through-passage plan house facing east-south-east, say east, and built down the hill slope. Inner room with projecting gable-end stack and is terraced into the uphill right (north) end. It is set back slightly from the main front giving the hall windows the impression of a bay. The hall has an axial stack backing onto the passage. Long unheated service end room at the downhill left end. Secondary service outshot projecting at right angles to rear of inner room is now used as a kitchen. Since no internal inspection was available at the time of this survey it is not possible to outline the historic development of the farmhouse here. Nevertheless it seems likely that it was an open hall house originally, maybe heated by an open hearth fire. The long downhill service end room might even suggest that it was formerly a Dartmoor longhouse with a shippon there. It is now 2 storeys throughout. Exterior: irregular 5-window front of various C19 and C20 casements. The oldest contain rectangular panes of leaded glass, others have glazing bars and some of the latest also have rectangular panes of leaded glass. The front passage doorway is set left of centre and now contains an early C20 plank door behind a contemporary trellis porch. Roof is gable-ended to right and hipped to left. Interior: was not available for inspection at the time of this survey although it appears to have had only superficial C19 and C20 modernisations. Also it is said to include an oak plank-and-muntin screen. Other C16 and C17 features are suspected throughout the house and the roof might be late medieval. Higher Parford appears to be a well-preserved Devon farmhouse, probably C16 with C17 improvements. A proper internal survey should be undertaken before any building work here lest C16 or C17 features be affected. The owner reports the discovery of an oak window with cusped lights, presumably early C16 in date.

Listing NGR: SX7140989971