Description

NORTH MOLTON
SS 72 NE
14/116 Higher Ley Farmhouse and barn and
- shippon adjoining to east
II
Farmhouse and adjoining barn and shippon. House probably of c.1500, altered in the
early to mid C17, with probably late C18 or early C19 partial rebuilding and
addition. Minor probably late C19 alterations. Adjoining C18 barn and shippon.
House with coursed stone rubble to ground floor and rendered cob to first floor,
partly rebuilt and extended in coursed stone rubble. Projecting square bay with
dressed-sandstone ground floor and rendered cob first floor. Rendered left-hand
gable end and rear. Gable-ended C20 asbestos-slate roof. Stone square stacks with
weatherings and C20 red-brick top stages. Barn with rendered cob on high coursed
stone rubble plinth and gable-ended corrugated-iron roof. Shippon with uncoursed-
stone rubble ground floor, corrugated-iron clad loft above and gable-ended
corrugated-iron roof.
Plan and development: Three-room and cross-passage plan, facing south (ground falls
to right). Probably late Medieval open hall house, formerly consisting of hall
(present kitchen) with projecting square bay to front, cross passage and service room
to right and inner room to left. Probably formerly open to the roof (probably
continuoulsy from end to end with rooms divided by low partitions). C17 alterations
included the insertion of the first floor, the insertion of the axial stack in the
hall backing onto the cross passage and the insertion of the axial end stack to the
inner room. Staircase inserted at the rear of the cross passage, probably also in
the C17. The projecting bay probably dates from the C17 phase of the house. Probably
late C18 or early C19 one-roomed addition at the left-hand end, (see straight joint
to rear). The front wall of the inner-room section was probably also rebuilt at the
same time (note continuous masonry to the front wall, left of projecting bay). Eaves
raised at some time (see cob below eaves), probably in the C18. Former cross-passage
entrance blocked, probably in the late C19 (see red brick head to window inserted in
opening). Door inserted in right-hand room probably at the same time, but possibly
earlier. C18 barn and probably early C19 shippon added at right-hand end of house
(see straight joints). Two-storey house and shippon of one-storey and loft.
Exterior: Asymmetrically-fenestrated front, 5 windows to first floor and 3 to ground
floor; mainly C19 two-light wooden casements with wooden lintels, except for left-
hand ground-floor window with red brick flat-arched head and C19 window inserted in
former cross-passage doorway (see straight joints beneath) with red brick segmental-
arched head. Projecting square bay to hall has a hollow-chamfered plinth and small
ground-floor squint in right-hand return, with deep splayed reveals. Name inscribed
on front wall of bay, at cill level: "W. SLADER". Inserted C19 door to far right
with wooden lintel. Small-paned ground-floor casement to bay. C19 half-glazed door
between first and second windows from left, with red brick flat-arched head, probably
formerly a window. C20 lean-to porch. Evidence at rear of former left-hand end
stack (see area of roughly dressed masonry to right of straight joint). Adjoining
barn has pair of boarded doors to centre with wooden lintel. Shippon to far right
with boarded loft door to left, ground-floor C19 two-light wooden casement off-
centre to right and 2 ground-floor boarded doors.
Interior of house: Former hall (present kitchen) has C17 deep-chamfered spine beams
and wall beams with runout stops, and moulded (beaded) joists between. Ground-floor
bay with plastered soffit. Fine C17 bench along left-hand wall (running into bay)
consisting of panelled back with moulded muntins running up to shaped ends, and
elaborate bench-end to right consisting of 2 tiers of shaped projections. Cross
passage with matchboarded dado and old door at foot of stair to rear. Former inner
room to left with probably early C19 brick segmental-arched fireplace. Old
floorboards. First-floor rooms and roofspace not inspected at time of survey
(September 1987) but cruck truss (probably jointed) at left-hand end of hall noted.
Barn has 4-bay roof with trusses consisting of principal rafters and collars, and 2
pairs of purlins.
House formerly built into bank at rear, later excavated.
No access to first-floor rooms and roof-space at time of survey.

Listing NGR: SS7598328765

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26508943

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

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair