Description

NORTH BOVEY LETTAFORD
SX 78 SW
4/210 Sanders
-
6.11.72
GV I

Longhouse. Early C16 with mid C16 and C17 modifications and addition. Walls partly
granite ashlar, partly granite rubble. The ashlar work is mainly to the shippon,
extending across its gable end and a considerable part of its front wall; at the
rear the lower courses of ashlar continue from the gable end up to the passage. To
the front of the house there is a small area of ashlar at the upper end. Central
tall granite rubble axial stack with granite weathering, drip-course and capping.
Left gable end stack is rendered, probably brick shaft but stone stack below
projects slightly. Slate roof with gable ends, drops to lower level below hall
stack over shippon.
Longhouse plan of shippon, through passage, hall and inner room. Inner room had
original chamber above it which was jettied into the open hall which had a central
hearth. Between the hall and passage was originally a low partition whilst it seems
likely that there was no partition initially between passage and shippon. In mid
C16 a further chamber was inserted over the passage with a partition separating it
from the shippon loft space and an internal jetty carrying it partly into the hall.
In C17 the hall was completely ceiled-in and the axial fireplace inserted backing
onto the cross passage. It has been suggested (see sources) that the projection at
the front of the hall originally contained a lateral fireplace which preceded the
axial one; while this is feasible conclusive evidence for it has disappeared and it
seems equally possible that its purpose was always a stair projection for which it
is in a fairly standard position. The outshut at rear of hall, possibly a dairy,
was also a C17 development from the evidence of its doorway. The inner room gable
end stack could have been inserted in either the C17 or C18. From the construction
of the partition the shippon could have been divided from the passage as late as the
C19.
2 storeys. The house is positioned down a slight slope with the shippon to the
right lower end and the house part to the left, built slightly into the bank at its
gable end. House has asymmetrical 2-window front of C20 2-light casements with
small panes, to their right is a 2 storey rectangular projection with very small
single light window. To its right is probably original lean-to porch to passage
door with dressed granite shouldered-head doorway and stone seats inside. The front
door to the passage is C19 plank, set in original wooden doorframe with round-headed
arch which has very worn chamfer.
There is a doorway into the shippon immediately to the right of the porch which has
a dressed granite block surround integral with the ashlar stonework, the lintel is
chamfered. To the right of the doorway is a window opening with wooden stanchion
bars and beyond it an original ventilation slit, framed by granite ashlar. Above
it is a similar smaller opening. At the shippon gable end is one central slit on
the ground floor and 2 in the gable on the first floor, all original. At the base
of the wall is a square central drain opening. On the rear wall of the shippon is a
further ventilation slit on the ground floor left of centre. The rear doorway to
the passage has C17/C18 plank door with old strap hinges. To the left of it on the
first floor is a blocked loading doorway. To right of passage door on first floor
is a small 2-light C20 casement window with small panes. Outshut projects from the
rear wall of the hall.
Good interior with a number of original and early features and the shippon
particularly well preserved virtually in its original state. It has the original
stone cobble flooring with central drain and parallel to it at the lower end on
either side, is a line of stones set in from the wall, each with a hole at the top
to take a tethering post. There are 3 heavy cross beams, un-chamfered with mortices
for joists. Groove for former short hip truss is visible in gable end wall. One
original roof truss survives in the shippon at its upper end almost level with the
lower side of the cross passage. It is a smoke-blackened raised cruck with curved
feet and had threaded purlins but not collar or tie-beam. Just beyond this truss is
the first floor partition to the chamber above the passage. 2 other original roof
trusses survive in the house section. One is an open truss to the higher side of
the inserted hall stack; it is a raised cruck truss with with curved feet, threaded
purlin to the front, trenched to the rear and high collar with central strut to the
apex. Threaded ridge, soffit chamfered. A more recent roof structure re-uses at
the front an original purlin which is chamfered with run out stops. The third
original truss is a closed one framing the partition of the inner room chamber.
This has straight principals with a high collar and strut to the apex. It also had
threaded purlins and has threaded ridge. These 2 trusses and the original timbers
between them are smoke-blackened, the closed truss to the hall side only. The
through-passage has chamfered joists which originally formed the jetty at the lower
end of the hall now mainly cut off by the hall stack where they rest on a coved
cornice. The back of the hall stack is of granite ashlar with a dressed plinth as
well as cornice. The partition to the shippon is crudely constructed of studs and
boards with a re-used C17/C18 plank studded door. Above the partition is a
chamfered head beam with hollow step stop but no mortices on its soffit for a
partition. To the higher side of the passage adjoining the hall stack is a fragment
of the earlier stud and panel partition with one post of a shouldered-head doorway
and head-beam for screen above. The partition has now been reconstructed within the
past 10 years. Hall has very large granite framed fireplace with monolithic jambs
and a roughly chamfered lintel, with a shallow shelf at the rear of the fireplace.
In the right-hand side is an oven with stone framed opening. Central cross beam
with deep chamfer and hollow step stops. Internal jetty at higher end consisting of
joists which are chamfered with curved ends. They rest on a solid wall constructed
of dressed granite blocks and incorporating a keeping hole. The wooden door frame
to the inner room is chamfered with mason's mitres. At the rear of the hall is a
C17 wooden door-frame to the outshut chamfered with a shallow cranked head. The
projection at the front of the hall now contains a recently re-built wooden newel
staircase. The inner room has a slate slab floor. On its rear wall is a narrow
window opening widely splayed new blocked by a slate.
This house is a very important survival of the greatly diminished number of Dartmoor
longhouses which survive with unaltered shippons. In addition to this a number of
early and unusual features are preserved in the house part.
Source: 'Sanders, Lettaford: A Devon Long-house' N.W. Alcock, P Child and M
Laithwaite.

Listing NGR: SX7019184058

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527369

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

• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)