Listed Building: Farmhouse, stables, piggery, bank barn, shippon and linhay at Great Nurcott Farm (1441539)

Summary of Building A farmhouse, dating from at least the mid-C17 with later additions and alterations. The associated C18/early C19 agricultural buildings comprise a stable range, bank barn, shippon, linhay, and a former piggery; with later alterations and some partial rebuilding. Reasons for Designation The farmhouse and group of C18/early C19 farm buildings comprising a stable range, former piggery, bank barn, shippon and linhay at Great Nurcott Farm are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural interest: the farmhouse retains a high proportion of mid-C17 fabric together with evidence of later phases of refashioning and all are evident in the range of fixtures and fittings present. It is an important survival that reflects the region's historic building traditions and is associated with a group of distinctive vernacular farm buildings; * Degree of survival: the agricultural buildings are integral elements of an historic farmstead and, together with the farmhouse, form a group which survives well. Despite repairs and alterations, their individual functions remain legible; * Historic interest: they illustrate the character and development of farming traditions on Exmoor within the context of the overall national patterns in farming history. History Nurcott, which was formerly known as North(e)cote, is situated to the N of Winsford, on the E slope above the River Exe and some 320m above sea level. It is mentioned in a document of 1453 which refers to the holding of Richard Kyng of Northcote. Nurcott appears to have originally been a single farmstead which was divided into Higher and Lower Nurcott by 1727/8. This is a fairly typical scenario on Exmoor where, with little land available for expansion, farmsteads became sub-divided, resulting in the creation of paired farms such as at Nurcott (Hegarty and Wilson-North, 2014). By 1838 Higher Nurcott was known as Great Nurcott, and Lower Nurcott as East Nurcott or Poors Land. The Tithe Apportionment of 1838 records that Great Nurcott Farm was in the ownership of the Earl of Carnarvon and occupied by John Williams at this date. An analysis of the historic fabric of Great Nurcott Farmhouse indicates that this building dates principally from the mid-C17, though it may well have earlier origins; the associated agricultural buildings appear to be constructed largely in the C18 and early C19. They comprise stables and an attached range containing a trap house and ash house behind (N) the house, a cartshed to the NW and, in a loose linear arrangement to the E, a former piggery, bank barn, shippon and linhay. They are depicted on the 1838 Tithe Map for Winsford except for the cartshed which was added in second half of the C19. A building further to the W of the cartshed, and shown on the Tithe Map, had been demolished by 1890. During the C19 farmyards were often enclosed with the addition of further buildings, and Great Nurcott Farm is no exception. A comparison of the Ordnance Survey First Edition of 1890 with the Second Edition of 1903 indicates that the farm expanded in the late C19/early C20 with additional buildings to the S of the linhay creating a yard that was enclosed on three sides. A further building was added to the W of this group, opposite the bank barn. These later structures do not survive, except for some lengths of walling. The 1890 Ordnance Survey map also shows a series of springs and leats to the NE of the farm. These supplied water to a waterwheel (no longer extant) located at the NE corner of the bank barn which powered machinery, initially possibly for a threshing machine and latterly for mechanical shears, within the building. The leats also fed water meadows on the valley side to the S and SW of the farm which probably date from the C19 and were irrigated by a field-gutter or catchwater leat system. In 1910 the farm was purchased by the Hayes family, and has been in their tenure until the present day (2017). In the early 1960s heavy snow caused damage to the roofs of a number of the farm buildings, leading to the replacement of some roof timbers and coverings. Details A farmhouse, dating from at least the mid-C17 with later additions and alterations. The associated C18/early C19 agricultural buildings comprise a stable range, bank barn, shippon, linhay, and a former piggery; with later alterations and some partial rebuilding. MATERIALS: the buildings are constructed from local Morte slatestone rubble, with rendered walls to the farmhouse. The roofs are variously covered in slate and fibre-cement sheeting. PLAN: the farmhouse has a U-shaped plan comprising a front range, two rear wings projecting at right angles and a single-storey outshut between the wings. A single-storey ancillary range is attached to the E side of the house. To the rear (N) is a small enclosed yard, beyond which are the stables. The other farm buildings are set slightly apart from, and to the E of the house. These are loosely arranged on a linear plan, alongside a narrow yard. There are modern agricultural sheds to the N and S of this group. EXTERIOR: the HOUSE is of two storeys with a south-facing front range of three bays. This has a gable end stack to the left and a rear stack below the ridge to the right-hand end. It has a central gabled entrance porch of two storeys, with C20 paired, glazed doors under a segmental lintel and a window to the first floor. The inner doorway has a timber surround with ovolo mouldings; while the plank door has strap hinges and nails arranged in a linear pattern. The windows to the front elevation have been replaced with double-glazed uPVC casements, except for the window to the side wall of the porch. The E gable end has a two-light mullioned window with metal casements and a vertical sliding catch and iron bars to the first floor. The roof profile at the NE corner kicks out, possibly marking the position of a curing chamber. A single-storey ancillary range projects at right angles from the E side of the house. It has a doorway at either end of the N elevation and two windows between them; all under timber lintels. There is a small drain hole set low in its gable wall. The E rear wing is of two bays, with C20 timber casements and a large external stack to its N gable wall. A second stack has been added to the right return in the C20. A single-storey outshut clasps the rear of the principal range between the two wings. The two-bay W wing is possibly of two phases and is unheated. It has a wide plank door to right-of-centre and timber windows; of three lights to the ground floor and two and three lights at first floor-level. The ground-floor openings have wooden lintels. There is an inserted taking-in door to the N gable wall. The W elevation contains a ground-floor window in the wing, and two windows in the gable wall of the front range. INTERIOR: the front range has a two-room, through passage plan. The passage which now forms an inner hall has a mid-C20 staircase, while the introduction of an extra doorway towards its S end, probably in the C19, has created a small entrance hall from which the principal rooms to either side of the passage are accessed. Both rooms contain a transverse ceiling beam with deep chamfers and stepped stops, and chamfered beams in the end walls and the walls alongside the passage. The existing fireplaces appear to have been created by infilling the original inglenooks, and are flanked by fitted cupboards. A cupboard in the sitting room (right), which has a door of wide planks with C18/early C19 L-hinges, contains a stone winder staircase, though the lower step has been removed. At the top of the stairs, in the bedroom above, is a matching door. A late C19 four-panelled door in the back wall of the sitting room leads into the E wing. This has a large inglenook fireplace with a bread oven, a later timber fire surround, and a small window in its E wall. There are transverse ceiling beams with no stops. Within the rear outshut is a hallway with a mid-C20 staircase and a second room that has C20 slate shelves supported on brick piers. The W wing, which is accessed from a raised doorway with a C19 plank door, has fallen into disrepair. It has a cobbled floor and both ground and first floors are divided into two rooms by a stone partition wall. The ceiling beam in the first ground-floor room is identical to those in the front range, and has deep chamfers and stepped stops; the beam in the second room has a more slender profile and lacks stops. Within the S wall is a plank and batten door in a pegged surround which formerly led through to the front range, although the opposite side of the opening in the left-hand room of the front range has been blocked. The single-storey ancillary range which is accessed from the E wing has a slightly sloping floor and C20 roof timbers. Upstairs, the bedrooms in the front range are accessed from a corridor. In the NW bedroom is a doorway into the first floor of the W wing; this has a pegged timber surround with plain chamfers and stops. The roof to the front range (partially viewed, 2017) is formed from pegged principal rafters and single purlins, with additional C20 timbers. The W wing has a pegged and collared principal rafter at the juncture with the front range, and common rafters and single purlins to the rest of the roof. The roof of the E wing was not inspected (2017). To the N of the farmhouse is the STABLE range. EXTERIOR: this is a rectangular stone building of four bays and one and a half storeys to all but its W end. It has a stone plinth and a pitched slate roof. The E gable end has a ground-floor entrance and a hayloft doorway above; they each have plank doors and brick lintels. The rear elevation has three timber windows in flat-headed openings with internal wooden shutters. The S elevation has a single C20 timber window and an entrance to the left end (W) and several blocked openings under timber lintels. INTERIOR: the stable range is divided into two parts. The larger, E part contains loose boxes with wooden stall partitions, probably C20, and the floor to the loft is supported on cross-beams and is boarded. Loft not inspected. There is a separate single stable in the W end bay which has an axial beam and rafters to one half. The probable former PIGGERY is a single-storey structure that is built into the slope. It has been adapted and is currently (2017) a workshop/garage. EXTERIOR: it is built of random stone rubble with a slate roof of late C20 date. A wide vehicular opening has been inserted in the N wall, while the opposing (S) gabled end has a small, low-level drain hole to the far left end, a single window under a stone lintel in the apex of the gable, and a blocked opening below, and to the right of, this window. The W elevation has three infilled narrow openings under stone voussoirs, and the E elevation is blind. INTERIOR: the floor appears to have been built up and is laid with concrete. The roof is supported by a tie beam truss, and the single purlins and rafters are modern. The BANK BARN faces onto the yard, providing accommodation for livestock at ground level and on the first floor is a former threshing barn with ground-level access at the rear. Multi-functional, split-level barns such as this were increasingly adopted from the late C18 following the introduction of machine threshing. EXTERIOR: the building, of five narrow bays, is constructed of stone rubble with a stone plinth in places, and a pitched roof covered in corrugated sheeting. The S elevation has three irregularly-spaced, flat-arched doorways to the ground floor and a central taking-in door with a segmental head at first-floor level; this has been partly infilled to narrow the opening. To the right-hand end is a blocked, lower opening. The rear entrance has a timber sliding door, and there is a further doorway to the left-hand bay which may be a later insertion. The ruined walls of the wheelpit survive at the NE corner of the building, but the waterwheel is not extant. INTERIOR: the ground floor provided fully enclosed housing for livestock, and transverse chamfered beams support the upper floor. This is accessed from the rear (N) and has a central threshing floor. The roof is supported by late C18 tie beam trusses with later angled struts. Some of the original purlins remain, reinforced with modern timbers. Supported by some of the roof timbers is a system of cast-iron line shafting and belt-drive wheels, probably dating from the later part of the C19. E of, and adjoining the bank barn is a long, rectangular, single-storey range, orientated W to E, comprising a SHIPPON and an adjoining LINHAY. It originally combined enclosed and open-sided accommodation for cattle and has been rebuilt at its W end. EXTERIOR: the range has stone rubble walls, rendered to the rebuilt part, under a gable-ended roof clad in corrugated sheeting. To the front (S), facing onto the yard, is a raised doorway and large opening in the rebuilt W end, and four regularly-spaced narrow doorways with timber lintels to the original part of the shippon. The open-fronted side (S) of the linhay has circular rubble piers supporting the roof, and the openings have been largely infilled with block work and timber. INTERIOR: the floors are cobbled, and the internal space has been divided into stalls with timber partitions in the C20. The pegged roof trusses are formed from tie beams, principal rafters and queen struts. The single purlins, some of which are modern, rest on the principals. Selected Sources Books and journals Hegarty, C, Wilson-North, R, The Archaeology of Hill Farming on Exmoor, (2014) Riley, H, Wilson-North, R, The Field Archaeology of Exmoor, (2001) Websites Exmoor Historic Environment Record, MEM23695 – Great Nurcott Farmstead, accessed 10 February 2017 from http://www.exmoorher.co.uk/hbsmr-web/record.aspx?UID=MEM23695-Great-Nurcott-Farmstead Other Nurcott in Settlements and Farms of Southern Exmoor, England's Past for Everyone National Grid Reference: SS9046236337