MDE21285 - East Bodley Farmhouse, Parracombe (Building)

Farmhouse. 1638 by datestone, remodelled and extended in 1754/5 by date plaques. Unrendered stone rubble, slate roof with gable ends. Impressively tall rear lateral hall stack with offsets and slate drip, ashlar stack with cavetto moulded cap to front gable end of parlour wing and brick stack at right gable end. 1638 range appears to have consisted of two room and through-passage plan, hall to left heated by rear lateral stack which has projecting lean-to stair turret to its left, and lower end, possibly originally unheated to right. In 1755 a projecting parlour wing was added at the upper end with an additional passage between it and the hall and a shallow two-storey porch in the angle, its roof heightened in C20. The rear gable end wall of the parlour was built forward of the rear wall of the hall, so probably in C19 the resulting rear angle was infilled with a lofted storage room with external rear access only. Two storeys. 3 window range to main range. All late C20 fenestration except for 2 2-light casements 6 panes per light at right end of upper storey. Projecting gable- ended stone rubble porch with slate roof. Semi-circular headed doorway with dressed stone voussoirs. Date stone over RB 1B. 1638 Inner door has C17 chamfered surround, the left-hand jamb replaced, with enriched weathered stop to right-hand jamb and original plank door with cover strips. C20 fenestration to parlour wing. Plank door to shallow two-storey porch in angle with roof heightened in C20. Pronounced straight-joint at left end of hall. Slate plaque in gable end wall of parlour wing "This house was built in 1754 by John Blackmore/Elizabeth". Interior: despite C20 exterior and some interior alterations many, principally C18, features survive. 2 chamfered cross ceiling beams to hall, that towards lower end with hollow step stops and date 1739 with initials IB carved on soffit, beam to upper end with run out stops. Chamfered bressumer set into upper end, formerly gable end wall of hall, and part of chamfered beam with hollow-step stop exposed on lower side of through-passage; also set in solid stone partitioning. Thin partition with vertical dado match boarding between through-passage and hall. Narrow chamfer to door surrond between hall and parlour wing. Dressed stone jambs to hall fireplace, original timber lintel concealed by C20 one. Parlour has decorative plaster ceiling with large central roundel with 4 angle sprays radiating from centre and cyma reversa moulded plaster cornice. Fireplace rebuilt in C20. Small chamber over also has central decorative plaster roundel but without central spray and two sides remaining of plaster cornice. Large chamber over parlour has plaster plaque inscribed John Blackmore/Elizabeth/1755. All the principal chambers to main range and parlour wing have C18 raised and fielded 2 panelled doors with narrow chamfered door surrounds with scroll-stopped durns. C17 roof trusses intact to main range with halved and lapped collars and 2 tiers of trenched purlins. [1] The building was visited in September 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [2] East Bodley Farmhouse. The first phase in 1638 (datestone) consisted of two room and cross passage plan. At this time the rear lateral stack with projecting lean-to stair turret was built and it is possible these were added to an earlier building. There was further remodelling in 1754-55 when a projecting parlour wing was added at the upper end. A plaque states “This house was built in 1754 by John Blackmore/Elizabeth,” which interestingly is similar to that at Court Hall Farmhouse . Built of stone rubble with a slate roof gabled at both ends, there is a semicircular headed doorway with dressed stone voussoirs, and an original inner planked door with cover strips and a chamfered surround. The main range retains 17th Century roof trusses with halved and lapped collars and two tiers of trenched purlins. Most interior features from the 1750s survive, including chamfered ceiling beams with run out stops, stone dressings to hall fireplace, and some good decorative plasterwork. [3] The building is depicted on 2020 MasterMap data and labelled East Bodley. [4] The building is mentioned in the 2019 Conservation Area Appraisal for Parracombe. [5] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [6]