Listed Building: LEIGH BARTON FARMHOUSE (1057521)

ST03NW OLD CLEEVE CP ROADWATER 4/116 Leigh Barton Farmhouse - II Grange of Cleeve Abbey, now farmhouse. Late medieval in origin, enlarged 1627, majority rebuilt 1811. Rendered over rubble, steeply pitched slate roof, moulded cornice, stone stacks gable ends and to right of entrance, latter said to be dated 1811. Courtyard plan: farmhouse facing East, South wing formerly a private chapel, North East annexe, West front closed by shelter shed. Farmhouse: 2 storeys, 4 bays; 12 pane sash windows, groundfloor tripartite 12 pane sash windows, one left and 2 right of Ham stone trabeated Roman Doric porch with frieze, 3 steps, recessed 6-panel door with side lights. Rear elevation onto courtyard, corrugated iron roof. C20 fenestration, projecting slate hung gable end with attached annexe in North West corner, built as a self contained unit. Annexe: squared and coursed red sandstone, asbestos slate roof, 2 storeys, one bay lit only on North front, large external double stack left of rebuilt entrance wall; right stack inscribed in square plaque 1627 GP (Giles Poyntz) AP. West Somerset slate roofed pentice masking lower portion of stack, carried on 2 circular columns flanking C19 door. Interior: single cell, chamfered beams with scroll stops, ovolo moulded door frame to stairs, first floor room said to contain similar doorcase with plasterwork frieze and badly mutilated fireplace. Upper floor accessible now only from farmhouse, alterations made when room ceased to be residential and became brewhouse and bakehouse, copper vat with stoke hole under to left of fireplace which also contains oven. Cambered pebble pathway links entrance of annexe with that of South wing, said to have been a private chapel, now reroofed with inserted floor and lacking distinguishing features. West side, shelter shed, West Somerset slate roof with C19 door in West West corner. Between circa 1609 and 1691 Leigh Barton was occupied by the Roman Catholic Poyntz family who had a resident chaplain. One of these chaplains, Philip Powel was later martyred at Tyburn in 1646 during the Civil War. It is thought that the annexe provided accommodation for the resident chaplain, though there is an alternative suggestion that it housed 2 female relatives of the builder, Giles Poyntz, who wished to live in religious seclusion. (VAG Report, unpublished SRO, 1973; VCH Somerset, Vol 5 forthcoming). Listing NGR: ST0250835861