Description

SX 74 SE SHERFORD Keynedon Farmhouse including 6/66 secondary range immediately to the West. ( Formerly seperately listed. ) 26.1.67 (Secondary Range only) 25.10.51 (Keynedon only) II*

GV

Farmhouse. C15 remodelled apparently in early C16 and with some C17 work. Much of the walls are constructed of coursed and dressed slate stone rubble, also with some more random rubble. Slate roofs. Several early stone chimney stacks including a very large stepped stack at the south end of the front range. Plan: Lack of access prevents a full interpretation of the plan, but a general outline can be given. The house is built around a narrow courtyard in 2 main ranges and with a larger walled forecourt at the front (qv). The front range has a C17 porch in front of a wide through passage. To the right of this passage, at the north end, are the kitchen and service rooms. Above them is a range of chambers reached only from a newel stair at this end of the house. To the left of the passage is a room which was probably the original hall, set on a cellar, which became a parlour in the C17. At the opposite side of a narrow courtyard to the West is a long service range incorporating a bakehouse and brewhouse and with chambers above. Exterior: 2 storey asymmetrical front of mainly C20 casement windows. To the left of centre is a large single storey C17 porch with rubble arch at the front and re-using 2 C15 2 centred arched doorways on either side. The ground drops at the left-hand end of the house and the porch is reached by a short flight of stone steps. There is a basement underneath the left-hand end of the house with a window with iron stanchion bars. On the northern, right-hand end wall of this range is a 4-light C16 granite mullion window with 4-centred heeds, On the rear elevation of this range a modern flue towards the northern end partially blocks a similar 2-light C16 window. The rear doorway has a granite segmental arched doorframe with carved spandrels. This abuts a newel stair projection with a dovecote in the top. The parallel rear courtyard range has a series of C15 or C16 windows with shouldered heads and iron stanchion bars. Roundarched chamfered doorway with a draw bar to the door. On the west of this range is a small garderobe projection. Lower C16 addition at the south end has a granite arched doorway and small blocked lights in the gable. Interior: Room to left of passage has good panelling of circa 1630 and a Gibbs type chimney piece of circa 1730. The kitchen at the right-hand end of this range may have a series of moulded timbers and there is a good arched doorway in a room to the south of it. In the rear range the bakehouse has a massive open fireplace with stone oven. There is an old wooden doorframe in the north wall and 2 similar doorframes with segmental heads above. A second room to the north on the 1st floor has a small oak framed door, rebated in the inner side, which leads to a garderobe. This is one of the earliest farmhouses in this part of Devon and a very unusual survival of a medieval courtyard plan house, still retaining much of its early layout and features. Access to it was very limited at the time of survey and most of the information on it has been taken from the notes of Dr. E.A. Gee, who visited the house in 1980.

Listing NGR: SX7747143295

External Links

• Wikidata Q17533341

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