Description

SX 68 NE CHAGFORD

3/14 Collihole Farmhouse - GV II

Farmhouse, former Dartmoor longhouse. Probably C16 but if so was mostly rebuilt in early or mid C17, renovated and shippon converted to domestic use circa 1980. Granite stone rubble, exposed to rear and whitewashed to front; granite stacks with granite ashlar chimney shafts; thatch roof. Plan and development: 4-room-and-through-passage plan former Dartmoor longhouse facing south-east and built down a slope. The present kitchen at the left (south- west) end is terraced into the slope. It was probably a parlour formerly and it has a gable end stack. Between this inner room parlour and the hall is an unheated former dairy. The hall has a large axial fireplace backing onto the passage and from the mid C17 was probably the kitchen. Dairy and hall knocked together and rear passage doorway blocked in C20. The shippon at the right (north-eastern) end, was converted to domestic use circa 1980 when it was given a gable end stack. C20 stairs in shippon end and site of former stairs unknown. Secondary storage outshots each end. Since most of the carpentry detail exposed dates from the C17 it is impossible to establish the early development of farmhouse although it seems probably that the hall at least was open to the roof. Now 2 storeys throughout. Exterior. Irregular 5-window front of C19 and C20 casements with glazing bars. The first floor windows towards the left (uphill) end have thatch eyebrows over. The front passage doorway is set right of centre. It contains a C17 oak doorframe with chamfered surround with worn stops and the studded oak plank door here is probably contemporary. It has plain strap hinges and 2 applied panels. The porch may also be as early. It has rubble walls and now has a monopitch slate roof and contains oak benches either side. The window immediately right of the porch is blocking the former shippon cow door. Dairy window is also blocking a former doorway. Secondary doorway at left end behind C20 concrete-tile roofed porch. Irregular row of pigeon holes high in the wall at the shippon end. Roof is gable-ended. Large rubble- walled store on right end with leanto thatch roof and small slate-roofed woodstore on left end. Both are secondary. Left end has C20 door to first floor up a short flight of steps from terrace. To rear the former shippon retains a narrow slit window and there is another at first floor level in the right end wall. Interior shows mostly C17 carpentry detail. In the through passage the ashlar back of the stack has a soffit-chamfered cornice and a chamfered plinth. It is also inscribed with C20 occupants names. The hall has a large granite fireplace with an enormous lintel and a roughly-chamfered surround. It includes a side oven to left. The crossbeam is soffit-chamfered with step stops and the similarly-finished half beam at the upper end is set a little forward from the partition possibly indicating an internal jetty there before the hall was floored over. The dairy has an axial beam, also soffit-chamfered with step stops and alcoves, possibly cooling cupboards, in the walls. No carpentry is exposed in the inner room parlour and the granite fireplace has a replacement lintel. The shippon, although converted circa 1980, still has its earlier rough and waney crossbeams. The roof was apparently renewed in the C17 although earlier trusses appear to have been reused over the shippon end. The end truss for instance has a C16 apex form with a small yoke (Alcock's apex type L1) and those close to it have been altered above collar level. They are A-frame trusses although the bases of the principals show some evidence that their curving feet have been hacked back and cut off suggesting that they may have originally been cruck trusses. They are however clean. The rest of the roof is made up of C17 A-frame trusses with pegged lap- jointed collars. Presumably due to a shortage of suitable timber there are some old pieces of carpentry with odd-shaped wany timbers and pieces scarfed together. Collihole Farmhouse is an interesting and attractive farmhouse, a former Dartmoor longhouse. Furthermore it forms part of a good group of buildings in the hamlet with its nearby barn (q.v.), Collihole Cottage (q.v.) and their butterwells (q.v.).

Listing NGR: SX6849485615

External Links

• Wikidata Q26459389

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Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)