Manor Farmhouse

Manor Farmhouse is a farmhouse dating to 1570. Part of the left gable end and the adjoining left-hand bay of the facade were likely rebuilt when the house was reroofed around the 1840s. The construction is of coursed blue lias, partially rendered, with Ham stone dressings. It has a shallow-pitched slate roof with overhanging eaves, a soffit board on the facade, coped verges to the left gable end, and brick stacks at the gable ends and to the right of the cross passage.

The house follows a three-cell and cross passage plan, with a coeval corridor at the rear of the hall and an agricultural wing to the rear.

It is two storeys high and has five bays. Most of the windows have painted stone mullions under hood moulds, and are mostly original. There is a chamfered plinth to the right of the entrance. A first-floor window to the left, with three lights, dates to the 19th century. Above the entrance is a two-light window with ovolo moulding. To the right of this is a similar three-light window, followed by two two-light windows. On the ground floor are two three-light windows to the left, the first containing the date 1570 on its hoodmould terminal. Relieving arches are above the entrance and three windows to the right. There are ovolo moulded two- and four-light windows, the latter both with one blocked light. The moulded Tudor arch head doorway has moulded jambs, a hoodmould, and an unidentified coat of arms on a tablet above bearing the initials “W V.” It is suggested the coat of arms belonged to the Sealy family. The house retains an early door.

The right return has a small stair light in the gable end, and a piece of Ham stone tracery has been reset into the wing to the rear. On the rear elevation is an unpainted stone three-light ovolo moulded window under a hoodmould, flanked to the right by a good moulded Tudor arch head doorway with moulded jambs, leading to the rear of the cross passage. To the left is a chamfered stone Tudor arch head doorway with an early door, leading to the hall corridor.

Inside, there is a chamfered depressed Tudor arch head wooden doorframe to the hall. The inner room (kitchen) has a large chamfered lintel over the fireplace. The lower end features a fine Ham stone moulded Tudor arch head chimney piece with spandrels, though its original location might have been in the hall, as the gable end has probably been rebuilt. The hall corridor appears to be an early feature, which is unusual. Roof trusses are not visible, but are thought to be 19th century, although remains of earlier trusses may be visible in the roof space. A watercolour of 1850 by Wheatly, held in the Braikenridge Collection at Taunton Museum, depicts different fenestration in the end two bays to the right and shows the 19th-century roof in situ.