MDE21335 - Hall Farmhouse and attached shippon (Building)

Originally an open hall house, the farmhouse probably dates to the early 16th Century, with alterations throughout the following centuries. A shippon attached to the east probably dates to the late 18th or early 19th Century.

Farmhouse, now house. Probably early 16th Century, remodelled in the early to mid 17th Century, and kitchen range added in the early to mid - 18th Century and further remodelled in the late 18th Century. Some alterations and minor additions of the late 19th Century. Painted coursed stone rubble, rendered to front. Some cob in kitchen wing. Gable-ended Welsh slate roof, with separate hipped slate roof over kitchen range. Plan and development: 16th Century 3-room-and-through-passage house, facing south. Open hall house, formerly open to the roof from end to end, probably with low partitions. Floored in stages, that over the inner room jettied into the hall. Hall probably floored last, although the lateral (formerly external) stone stack to the rear might be slightly earlier. Integral end stack to inner room and lateral stack to rear of lower room. Parallel kitchen range added to rear of hall and inner room in the early 18th Century, sharing hall stack. Staircase inserted in wide through-passage in the late 18th Century, and eaves possibly raised at the same time. 19th Century gabled dairy to rear of lower room and lean-to porch over rear entrance, possibly the remains of a larger lean-to. 2 storeys. Exterior: asymmetrical but regular 4-window south front; late 18th Century small-paned 2- light wooden casements. Late 20th Century glazed door to right with 20th Century segmental tympanum. Late 20th Century French casements at left-hand end of front. Straight masonry joints in left-hand gable end indicate former roof line. Rear: nail-studded boarded rear door to through-passage, probably relocated in porch. First-floor 3-light wooden casement above door. Kitchen range and pair of first-floor 2-light wooden casements and one ground floor 2-light wooden casement. Interior: 16th Century 4-bay roof; 3 smoke-blackened 16th Century trusses, possibly jointed crucks (see reused jointed timber in lower room fireplace), with notched mortice and tenoned apices and trenches for former diagonally set ridge piece and trenched purlins. Late 19th Century roof construction above 16th Century trusses. 18th Century 4-bay roof over kitchen range consisting of trusses with principals (including hip principals) and trenched purlins. Hall has 17th Century chamfered cross beam with scroll stops, and 20th Century fireplace to rear, probably in front of earlier fireplace. Internal jetty to left with chamfered and stopped bressumer resting on 3 projecting beams with chamfered corners and ends. Inner room has chamfered spine beam with run-out stops. Lower end room has two ceiling levels and pair of late 18th Century square-headed niches with shaped shelves and corner cupboards with raised-and-fielded panelled doors. Pegged jointed timber reused as mantelshelf in late 20th Century fireplace; owner (July 1987) reports that it was taken out of the foot of the north principal of the right-hand roof truss, suggesting that the trusses are side-pegged jointed crucks. Late 18th Century internal remodelling throughout house including doors of 4 raised and fielded panels and pairs of internal window shutters to ground-floor rooms, each shutter with 2 raised and fielded panels. Late 18th Century staircase inserted in cross passage with stick balusters to landing and tapered square-beaded newels with acorn finials, foot of stairs and passageway to left formerly with doors. Large kitchen fireplace with stone jambs, wooden lintel and probably 19th Century chamfered and stopped surround. 18th Century winder stair rising from kitchen; old boarded door to cupboard underneath with H-L hinges. Shippon: adjoining to east. Probably late 18th Century or early 19th Century. Coursed sandstone rubble with slate roof. 1 storey and loft. Central boarded loft door, ground-floor window with wooden lintel, and small vent to left. Half-height boarded door to left with wooden lintel. Door and window in right-hand gable end, both with wooden lintels. Boarded door to rear too. Interior with cross beams for loft (floor removed at time of survey - July 1987) and 2 trusses with straight principals and collars. [1] The buildings were visited in September 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. They received a BAR score of 6. [2] The building was assessed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings, receiving a BAR score of 6. [3]