MEM23748 - North Ley Farm, Exford (Building)

The Tithe Map for Exford shows a small group of buildings at SS 8432 3865 and labelled "Lea." This includes a building at SS 8431 3866, the western end of which is apparently in use for domestic purposes, and a further small building at SS 8432 3864. The site is within land parcel 618, which the accompanying Apportionment describes under "Lea" as "Ley Homestead", owned and occupied by Philip Hole. [1] The site had been expanded by the time the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map was surveyed. The larger building at SS 8431 3866 had either been demolished and rebuilt or altered to form what appears to be a pair of cottages, with two central porches on their southern elevation, and various extensions to the south at either end. The smaller building to the south has been joined by a building abutting its eastern end and stretching northwards. A well is marked at SS 8431 3865. The whole site is now labelled North Ley. [2] This arrangement is repeated on the 2nd Edition map, save that the well is now depicted as a pump. A small outbuilding is also now depicted at SS 8428 3869. [3] Since the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map was published, a small outbuilding has been constructed at SS84313864 and a larger barn sited to the west of the site. [4] The site was visited in January 1997 as part of the Exmoor Farmsteads survey. The house was noted to be a pair of semidetached cottages, possibly dating to the 1870s. A small yard to the front was noted to have buildings on two sides, joined at a right angle, with the southern building thought to be earlier in date. The eastern range was described as a "minute 19th Century rubble-built stable and nice." Both buildings had slate roofs. The yard was concreted. It was thought that the site was possibly earlier than seems likely. [5]