Conservation Area: Ranscombe Farm Conservation Area

Four Exmoor farmsteads were designated as Conservation Areas in the early 1990s. This enabled funding to be sought under the then Conservation Area Partnership Scheme (CAPS) to carry out urgent, essential repairs in order to maintain their character. The farmsteads are mainly in remote upland locations which is unusual for such designation, but their characteristics are similar in that they consist of a farmhouse closely associated with a varied range of outbuildings. Each farm has several buildings that are now redundant as regards current agricultural practice and pose a considerable strain of upkeep. Three are remote from public access other than by footpath or bridleway. All but one has a grade II listed farmhouse and two also have grade II listed outbuildings. Ranscombe Farm in Wootton Courtenay Parish is the only lowland farm in the group at 90 metres (300 feet) above sea level and is situated about half a mile west of the main village and some two miles to the west of Dunster. Both farmhouse and outbuildings are largely constructed of the distinctive red sandstone, which typifies historic buildings in the locality. The farmhouse and an adjoining barn form a T-shape plan close to a corner of the lane. The main frontage faces an access to a scattered range of outbuildings to the south and west. Each farmstead has a considerable history. It has not been possible to carry out detailed research within the terms of this appraisal, but there are some clues to the antiquity of most locations. The listed barn and farmhouse at Ranscombe are given as early 19th century in the listing details, but the site may well be much earlier. References to place names (see bibliography) suggest that Ranscombe may refer to Old English rand meaning a “brink” or “bank” with the familiar combe derived from Old English cumb; i.e. “in (or of) a valley.”