MDE21317 - Lower South Dean Farmhouse (Building)

A late 17th Century farmhouse with 19th Century alterations. The 17th Century roof structure is still intact. An attached barn and outbuilding have been incorporated into the house to form part of the living area of the property.

Farmhouse. Late C17 with C19 alterations and outbuildings at each end converted to form part of dwelling in C20. Painted stone rubble. Slate roof to main range, asbestos slate roof at right end, pantiled roof to left end. Tall rear lateral stone rubble hall stack and stone rubble stack at right end of main range with tapered caps and drips. Basically 3-room-and-through-passage plan, the front through-passage doorway blocked in C19 and a window inserted, and entrance made direct into hall. Former dairy to lower end to left of passage, hall heated by rear lateral stack to right with a narrow heated inner room beyond which has projecting stair turret to its rear. In C20, probaby a former barn at right (upper) end and outbuilding at left end with slightly lower roof height were taken in to form part of dwelling. C19 outshut with slate roof to rear of lower end. 2 storeys. 5 window range in all to main range. Principally C19 and early C20 fenestration. From left end 2 2-light casements, 4 panes per light, 2 paned window, 2 light casement 6 panes per light and 2 light casement 4 panes per light. Ground floor has C20 door inserted into dairy to left of small C19 3 light window inserted in blocked through passage doorway. Projecting stone rubble porch with half-glazed plank door and hall window projection with 2-light casement 6 panes per light to right. Converted outbuilding at left end has 3 light window over blocked doorway with inserted C20 window. Converted barn has large dormer over 4 light casement. Interior: single chamfered axial ceiling beam with straight cut stops to inner room. Original straight-run stone steps with slate treads to rear stair projection. Hall has two unchamfered axial ceiling beams and C19 lintel to fireplace which has bread oven with cast iron door. Solid stone rubble wall rising only to first floor level between hall and inner room. Original flagstone floors to hall and through-passage. Lime-ash floor to inner room. C17 roof structure intact beneath superimposed slate roof with 3 trusses with straight principals, two tiers of trenched purlins and diagonally set ridge purlin and typical C17 dove-tailed collars. [1] The building was visited in September 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [2] The farmhouse is shown on historic mapping in much its present formation, although a structure (presumably a porch) is depicted in the centre of its eastern elevation. [3-5] The farmstead was visited in December 1996. The house was described as very interesting, in a three room plan form built across the contours and little altered in the 20th Century. [6]