Description

DARTINGTON
Higher Allerton
SX76SE
1/93
9.2.61

GV II

Farmhouse. Probably late C16 or early C17, possibly earlier origins,
remodelled and extended in C18 and with C19 alterations. Local limestone
rubble, rendered at front and slate hung at right hand east end. Slate
roofs with gable-ends to steeper pitched right end and grouted scantle
slate to lower pitched hipped left end. The wing to the front left is also
hipped and the parallel rear range and a gable-ended roof. Black-glazed
ridge tiles. Moulded cast-iron gutters to right of front with lion masks
at the joints. Brick shafts to the stacks; 2 rear lateral stacks, one
axial stack near left end and side stack to front wing.
Plan: The original late C16 or early C17 house was probably a 3-room plan
facing SSW, the lowered ground level to the right. But it is uncertain
which was the service end and where the passage was situated. The hall was
at the centre and heated from a rear lateral stack. There is an end stack
to the left hand room and a rear lateral stack to the right hand room but
there may have been added in the C18 remodelling. The stair tower behind
the right end of the hall beside the lateral stack appears to have been
part of the late C16 or early C17 house (straight masonry joints on the
rear wall). In the C18 the house was remodelled which may have involved a
rearranged room use. The stair tower was retained and has an C18 framed
staircase with access from the hall which now has a doorway opposite the
stairs on the front. The right hand room seems to have been extended later
(possibly in early C20) for use as a drawing room, and the left hand room
was probably the parlour in the C18. At the same time in the C18 a shallow
2 storey parallel range was added at the back incorporating the stair tower
and engulfing the lateral hall stack. This service range contained the
kitchen behind the left hand room, a large cupboard in the remaining space
behind the lateral hall stack, and a small unheated room behind the right
hand room. Also C18 is the service range at the left and which projects at
the front of a 1-room plan wing and has a single storey lean-to at the back
containing the pantry and a small walled yard adjoining at the left end.
the house was altered again in the C19 especially the hall which was
refashioned in the late C19 apparently by T C Kellock who is said to have
brought in the C16 and C17 features. There is a former barn with an engine
house at the back of the right hand end of the house linked to the house by
a cartway to the farmyard which has been blocked to form a room giving
access to the barn via the small unheated rear room and lean-to at its end.
The barn has been converted into a room in which panelling has been
installed, said to have come from the Guildhall in Totnes.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 5-window front plus wing to left.
First floor has 3 C18 3-light casements to right with leaded panes and one
similar single-light window to left, C20 metal casement to left of centre.
The ground floor has a C19 verandah across the front, except for the left
end, with a hipped slate roof on slim cast-iron columns, the centre
section in front of a doorway is now glazed and flanked by 2 early C20
wooden bay windows with leaded panes. To the left also under the verandah
a small 2-light window, and to left a C20 metal frame window formerly a
doorway still with a gabled hood above. The projecting wing to left has a
C20 metal casement on ground floor and similar on first floor of inner
face. In the angle a C20 conservatory.
At the slate-hung right hand gable end which was extended possibly in early
C20, there is a 2-storey gabled bay window flanked by a pentise roof on the
ground floor supported on 2 different reused octagonal granite piers with
moulded bases and capitals.
Rear Elevation: 3 light C18 casement with leaded panes to right. the rest
of the back is taken up by the parallel range which has 1,2 and 3-light C18
casements with leaded panes and an C18 2-light stair window to left with a
square head and alte C19 stained glass. This window is in the blocking of
an earlier window suggesting that there the stair tower is earlier than the
back range; there are straight masonry joints on either side of the stair
tower and a slate plinth at the base. To the right of the back range a C20
glazed door with a mounting block to its left. In the angle with the main
range to the right is a single storey lean-to outshut (the pantry). Set
back to the right the rear gable end of the wing has C18 casements with
leaded panes.
At the back of the right hand end of the house there is a single storey
block, which is a blocked cartway with a gable-ended roof with a clock
tower on the ridge with a tent shaped hipped roof with a bell finial and
slate-hung sides and slate clock faces to the front and back; below is a b
locked cartway entrance with a chamfered wooden lintel. The former barn
adjoining at rear has a slate hung front, large 3-light Gothic window in
the gable end with intersecting glazing bars and a semi-circular former
engine house at the back with a raised roof and a red brick stack.
Interior: The hall has 2 moulded cross-beams set on corbels and one half
beam over the screen to the left with 2 ogee and hollow mouldings and bar
stops, the bars on the half beam and the right hand beam are on one side
only and the stops on the right hand beam have scratch pattern of
intersecting diagonals. The joists have 2 ogees and a roll moulding
without stops. The partition screen at the left end of the hall is
panelled with linenfold carving on the top and bottom panels, the cornice
is richly carved and the carving above has moulded ribs and moulded plaster
arms and florae in the panels. This screen continues into the C18 addition
at the rear therefore is not in situ and on the other side in left hand
room the screen is covered in C18 fielded and moulded panelling with
pilasters. At the back end of the screen a shouldered head doorway is
exposed with a diagonally stopped chamfer. The other screen on the right
hand end of the hall has linenfold carving in the top panels only. The
ornate rear lateral chimney piece is made up from various carved pieces;
the jambs have late C17 or early C18 festoon drops and the overmantel has
panels with interesting stylized figures probably Flemish or Italian;
inside the fireplace some blue and white Dutch tiles. There are various
other C19 and reused carved details in the hall. The stair tower at the
back of the hall to the right has a wide early C18 dog-leg framed staircase
with turned balusters, moulded string and handrail ramped to square newels.
The right hand room has been extended probably in early C20 and has an
Italian mosaic set into the back wall, behind which is a C16 6-light wooden
window frame with very closely spaced chamfered mullions with mason's
mitres, not rebated for glass, and diagonally stopped on the outside which
is now within the small room behind. This room has a reused moulded
ceiling beam. The other back room behind the left hand end is the kitchen
and has reused moulded cross beams with double rolls alternating with
hollows. At the left end of the kitchen a pantry with iron bars and a C17
moulded 8-panel door leading outside. The doorway between the kitchen and
the front room has a fielded 3-panel door.
On the first floor an almost complete set of C18 fielded 2-panel doors.
The first floor room to the rear left has a bolection moulded chimney piece
with a fielded panel frieze and moulded mantel shelf.
The front left hand wing has an C18 chimney on the ground floor with a sort
of Chippendale frieze with interesting lozenges and a dentilled cornice,
the whole surrounded by a larger reused chimney piece with a fielded panel
overmantel.
The converted barn adjoin the rear of the right hand end has panelling said
to have come from the Guildhall, Totnes.
Roof: 3 trusses with straight principal rafters with mortices for threaded
ridge piece and purlins; some are very closely spaced, morticed apex and
dove-tail halving for the collars which are missing. There are mortices on
2 of the principals for collars but the corresponding principals opposite
have dove-tail halving which suggests that the roof structure has been
reassembled. The roof over the left hand end has soft wood trusses.

Listing NGR: SX7636761606

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26402162

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

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)