MEM22449 - Medieval or post-medieval church house at Church Gate, Exford (Monument)

An old cottage is recorded as being pulled down in c.1881-1890. It apparently contained part of a church wall demolished during the Reformation. It is possible the extant Church Cottage may include fabric from the demolished structure.

An old cottage stood at the church gate. It was pulled down in c.1881. It used to serve as the Parish poor house. It contained parts of the wall of a church that was taken down at the time of the Reformation. [1] The Exford Tithe Map shows a building in the same position as Church Cottage, shown on the modern (2013) MasterMap at SS 8574 3847. It has a slightly different floor plan. To the west is a small enclosed area shown in cultivation. The building is labelled 984 and the adjacent plot of land is labelled 985; the Tithe Apportionment describes these as "Poor House" and "Two Gardens to ditto" respectively, stating that they were in the ownership of The Master and Fellows of Saint Peters College Cambridge, with Relph Joseph as a lessee (The Glebe). [2,3] The 1st and 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey maps show Church Cottage (then called 'Church House') in its present plan form. It is not clear whether this is the same house shown on the Tithe Map of whether the original house was demolished to build Church Cottage. If the latter, it is possible the present building retains fabric from the former. [3-5] A church house, used for the village poor, stood near the entrance to the churchyard until it was pulled down in 1890. [6] In 1890 the parish Poor House was pulled down. The walls containing several worked stones, one of which appeared to be a piscina and one that Hamilton described as "the top stone of a priest's doorway". It was suggested that this material may have been sourced from the south wall of the church when the new aisle was constructed in the 16th Century. The stones were used to build a rockery in the Rectory garden (MEM24700). [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]