MDE11732 - Post-medieval building platform west of Lower Town Farm (Monument)

SS 7451 4963. Large platform, suggesting a toft, identified by McDonnell on aerial photographs west of Lower Town Farm Countisbury. [1,2] SS 7450 4964. The remains of a rectangular platform, about 14 metres east to west by 4 metres and 0.7 metres high, set into a south facing slope in a pasture field. An old field wall runs off northwards uphill from its east side. As suggested it is probably the stance for a house or barn. It may be associated with the field system (MDE8687) to the northeast. The area is shown on the 1888 Ordnance Survey plan as being rough grass and gorse but no building is depicted so it had probably gone out of use by then. [3,4] A large rectangular building platform is visible on aerial photographs as low earthworks to the northwest of Countisbury village at circa SS 7447 4966. Set into a south facing slope of a ridge, just below the apex, the setting of the earthworks would not be unusual for a bank barn. However, at 30 metres in length and 13 metres wide, the building platform is large enough to suggest a larger range of buildings. The platform is within the area of rough ground described by the above authority, still visible as an area of rough vegetation on aerial photographs of 1995. This area of circa 1800 square metres may mark the limits of a farmstead associated with the building platform and the relict field system to the north. [5-7] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [8]