Walners Farmhouse

Walners Farmhouse

Farmhouse, probably dating from the early 16th century, remodelled and extended at the upper end in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, with alterations to the lower end in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and 20th-century changes. The building is constructed of rendered stone rubble and cob. The roof is covered in 20th-century clay tiles, hipped at the left end, though an intact thatch roof survives beneath. There are two axial stacks: one to the hall backing onto the through-passage, featuring a tapered cap and drip; the other inserted at the lower end and rendered. Two further stacks are located at the rear—a tall lateral stack to the upper end and another at the right gable end, both of stone rubble with tapered caps.

The plan is complex and obscured by later alterations, but the overall length of the house is unusual for the area. It comprises two rooms at the lower end to the left of the former through-passage (whose rear doorway was infilled in the 20th century). To the right of the passage is the hall, with its backing stack. A front passage leads from the hall to the range at the right end; beyond this passage is a room accessible only from the rear. The staircase sits between this room and the right-hand range, which consists of a large room heated by the rear lateral stack and a narrow room beyond, possibly originally heated by the stack at the right gable end, though only evidence of a first-floor fireplace remains.

The 16th-century range appears to have originally comprised an open hall, a through-passage, and a lower end which, given its length, may well have functioned as a byre or shippon. The hall retains no early features, only roughly chamfered cross joists and a timber fireplace lintel to the inserted stack with thin chamfer and small scooped-out stops, suggesting insertion in the late 17th or possibly early 18th century. Smoke-blackening extends evenly from the hall stack to the upper end of the small room and front passage to the right of the hall, where a solid stone wall base indicates the former gable end of this range. The small room retains no surviving features except a chamfered axial beam, both ends of which have been sawn off, its lower end projecting as a stub into the hall. The partitions between this room and the hall, and between this room and the front passage, are of rough timber uprights with planks nailed to them, suggesting the room has been enclosed from the original larger hall—which would have been considerable in length. It is possible that a low-screen partition originally created a small inner room at the lower upper part of the hall, roughly matching the surviving room's dimensions. The external front wall at the right end of the front passage shows evidence of rebuilding at the width of a former stair projection, which would have been demolished when the stairs were relocated to run up the side of the original right gable-end wall. Probably at the same time the ceiling was added over the hall, a large parlour was inserted at the upper end, heated by the lateral rear stack with a narrow room beyond it, possibly created from it. The gable-end stack heated only the chamber above it. The parlour range has a slightly higher roof level. In the late 18th or 19th century, an axial stack was inserted at the lower end, creating two rooms, and an additional staircase was added in the left-hand rear corner of the lower room. The roof structure over this end below the hall stack was also replaced at this time. In the 20th century, a single-storey flat-roofed extension was added to the rear of the lower end, blocking the rear through-passage doorway, and two lean-tos (one to the front of the hall and one to the rear of the parlour range) were demolished.

The building is two storeys with a four-window range and irregular 20th-century fenestration throughout. A 20th-century stone rubble porch has been added to the through-passage doorway.

Interior: The hall has rough chamfered cross ceiling joists and the lower end room off the through-passage has axial joists. A chamfered beam in the 'inner' room has both ends sawn off. Cambered timber lintels to the inserted stack in the lower end and chamfered timber lintels to the hall stack with scooped-out stops survive. The parlour has two cross ceiling beams with run-out stop chamfers; the fireplace was rebuilt in the 20th century. Two 2-panelled doors survive on the upper floor.

The roof structure over the hall remains intact with a raised cruck truss, the principals bedded well into the wall almost to first-floor level, with morticed and cranked collar, diagonally set ridge, and two tiers of trenched purlins. The truss, purlins, rafters, and underside of thatch are thoroughly smoke-blackened. The truss over the 'inner' room has been replaced. The roofspace over the parlour range is not accessible, but a single truss visible has straight principals and trenched purlins with no smoke-blackening. Three late 18th and early 19th-century trusses over the lower end have straight principals, purlins resting on backs, and waney rafters, all entirely clean.

Despite alterations and 20th-century fenestration, this remains an important survival in the northern part of North Devon, where few late medieval open hall houses are found.