MEM23668 - Perry Farm, Dulverton (Building)

The Tithe Map for Dulverton Parish shows a farmstead. This includes a farmhouse at SS 9318 2574 and a group of farm buildings grouped around a central yard at SS 9320 2576. A further linear building is sited across the road to the south from the main group at SS 9321 2573. Together, the group is labelled Perry and numbered 1878. An orchard is located to the northwest of the farmstead and numbered 1876, with another to the north east of the buildings labelled 1883. The accompanying Apportionment document lists the parcels under Steart and Perry Farms, that together hold 180 acres. Land parcel 1878 is described as Perry Homestead, with 1883 named Mow Barton Orchard and 1876 named Home Orchard. All were owned by the Earl of Carnarvon and occupied by William Harding. [1] By the time the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map was produced, the farmhouse had been dramatically altered, either having been partially demolished and altered or completely demolished and rebuilt at SS 9318 2575. A horse engine house also appears to have been added to the eastern side of the barn at SS 9322 2577. However, the buildings otherwise appear to have been little altered and they seem to have survived in a similar plan form since this time. By the time the 2nd Edition map was surveyed, a further building had been constructed at SS 9312 2572, which is still extant; another is shown at SS 9325 2576 but this has since been removed, as have the two orchards shown on the Tithe Map. The site has been further developed, with a large barn constructed at SS 9327 2580. [1-4] Steart farmstead has features recorded on the Somerset County Council side of the National Park boundary (southern). The SCC HER reference for the site is PRN 34648. [5] The site was visited in April 1997 as part of a survey of Exmoor's Farmsteads. The house was noted to be symmetrical and roughly thought to date to the 19th Century, with slight Tudor touches and it was suggested that its unrestored face fronting the road may hide an earlier house. To the east was a "complicated series of buildings", in particular a large barn with a cheeked doorway and likely to be the earliest in date, with a round house at the rear. A timber posted cartshed was noted to the north, and a four bay linhay with solid bays to either side was seen to the south. Other lesser buildings were dotted around the site. The principal buildings were noted to be unrestored. [6]