Maidenbrook Farmhouse With Attached Barn And Walls

Maidenbrook Farmhouse, with its attached barn and walls, dates primarily from the early 17th century, with alterations in the 18th and 19th centuries. The farmhouse is largely constructed of rough render on rubble, with some exposed rubble and greensand slates in one gable wall. It has slated roofs, with tile on the attached outbuilding. The building is complex, exhibiting an early cross wing at the north end, nearest the road, and a second cross wing to the south, joined to form a broad ‘U’ plan, though the specifics of the plan’s development are not known.

The west front, which serves as the main entrance, features a large, 19th or 20th-century square bay with a flat roof and a glazed door sheltered by a front canopy supported on props. Above, there are three small wooden casements arranged in a 2:3:2 light pattern. A substantial brick stack is located on the left gable. To the right is the gable end of the south block, characterized by a deep verge and a large external stack with a pent-roofed offset, possibly a bread oven. A small two-light casement is positioned top left. To the left is a lofty rendered stone boundary wall, reaching approximately 2.8 meters in height, with a series of piers and tile coping. The south front has a central stair projection featuring a three-light mullioned window with leading. To the left is a canted bay with a slate roof and a three-light casement. To the right, a door is set within a 20th-century porch, and a projecting element is covered by a pent roof.

The east return front has a broad gable, incorporating three-light casements on each level. A set-back centre section has a French door under a three-light casement, alongside a flush-gabled dormer with a small window to the eaves on the left. A smaller eaves stack is present to the right, followed by a lofty gable end brought forward, with a two-light casement low on the right and a single light on the first floor left. Two brick ridge stacks rise from this transverse block, the north wall of which is constructed of unrendered rubble. A small, gabled, single-story outbuilding, located at a right angle, continues the structure and links via a wide door in the boundary wall to a gabled barn constructed of rubble with a pantile roof. The barn features an early two-light wooden casement with shutters and large sandstone quoins; a five-step mounting block adjoins the gable end. The north front of the main building has a wide plank door within deep reveals, overlooking a narrow courtyard connected to the barn. The barn has a further two-light, shuttered, mullioned opening on its south front. The main block includes three-light casements at the first floor and two laylights to the roof, with a small attic light on the west gable.

The interior contains several features of interest, including broad, chamfered spine beams with run-out stops in the kitchen of the north wing, and a heavy bressummer, oven boiler recess. The ‘nursery’ on the upper level of the north range has a deep chamfered beam with a bold stop, two peaked-head doorways with thick plank and batten doors, and a flat, four-centered fireplace with molded jambs. The west range exhibits a substantial two-purlin and heavy principal roof structure. The east range, at the north end, showcases a large stone fireplace in a very flat four-center, set within molded jambs and a deep flush lintol. While the interior wasn't inspected, information from slides provided by Taunton Deane District Council is available. The building is considered very important and deserving of archaeological exploration, as the exterior provides limited evidence of the interior's richness.