Description

CHAGFORD
SX 68 NE
3/96 Barn approximately 3 metres north
of Yeo Farmhouse
23.12.86

GV II*

Barn and stables, originally a first floor hall-house. Probably late C15-early C16,
converted to agricultural use probably in C17, refurbished in late C19. Walls built
of massive blocks of granite ashlar on footings of massive boulders, patched and
altered with granite stone rubble; disused granite stack; corrugated iron roof
(formerly thatch).
Plan and development: the original plan is not easy to work out at present, mostly
due to the alterations undertaken to convert the house to agricultural use. The
building faces south-east. It seems likely that the very low ground floor had a 3-
room plan possibly with a through passage but the main accommodation was on the first
floor where there was probably a large hall and, at the right (north-eastern) end, a
chamber with end stack and a garderobe alongside. Below the putative hall-chamber
partition there is an original granite ashlar crosswall up to first floor level. The
floor has been replaced and some is now unfloored. At some time (probably in the
C17) it was converted to a threshing barn and a full height large doorway built onto
the front directly opposite a now-blocked original rear doorway. This front door was
reduced in size in the late C19, possibly when the barn was converted to its present
use as stables.
Exterior: the south-east front is largely the result of its agricultural use. Some
of the original ashlar work is there, but the only recognisable original feature is
the low ground floor doorway at the right end. Surrounded by granite ashlar it has
an external granite lintel and an internal oak lintel, both soffit-chamfered, and the
sides have shallow rebates for a doorframe. The other features are agricultural and
built of granite rubble along with most of the upper wall section. Left of centre
is the C20 stable door with hayloft loading hatch over filling in part of the
probably C17 barn door. Another hayloft loading hatch to right. Also an irregular
series of pigeon holes in the rubble-work under the eaves. Roof is gable-ended. The
left (south-western) end is blind and the right end contains only a single small
original window aperature high up and lighting the first floor chamber. The rear
wall also contains much secondary patching and it is blind. It does however contain
1 original blocked doorway (directly opposite the front stable door).
Interior is largely the result of the C19 refurbishment. All the carpentry detail,
including the A-frame truss roof, dates from then. However the granite crosswall
towards the right end is original. It rises only to first floor level and is
apparently blind. In the right end wall there is an alcove to the former low ground
floor room. The chamber above has a large fireplace; it is hooded with granite
corbels and lintel with a window high to right of the chimney and at the left end a
garderobe alcove. This last feature is proved to be a garderobe since, outside this
corner, there is a disused channel connecting to the nearby stream.
It is interesting to note that in some places granite ashlar appears on the inside
where secondary rubble patching shows outside and vice versa. Therefore careful
recording of the fabric might show more original features.
This barn is the oldest building in a good group of listed farm and mill buildings
which make up Yeo Farm and include the farmhouse (q.v.)., the office and garden
railings (q.v.), the mill (q.v.), the smithy and cartshed (q.v.) and the Old School
House (q.v.). Presumably this was the original farmhouse which was converted to
agricultural use when the present farmhouse, once a Dartmoor longhouse, was built.
It is an important building in its own right, being a rare Devon example of a late
medieval first floor hall-house, but also important in the development of the farm
here at Yeo. According to the owners the farm has been in the continuous occupation
of the Perryman family since circa 1450.

Listing NGR: SX6785686588

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17537277

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas