MEM23760 - Westcott Farm (Building)

A farmstead is shown on the Luxborough Tithe Map at SS 9696 3799. A farmhouse is situated at SS 9698 3797 with a small L shaped outbuilding to its southwest. To the northwest, there is an southeast to northwest aligned linear range at SS 9696 3800, a northeast to southwest linear range at SS 9693 3801 and a broadly square building at SS 9694 3800. A further small building is sited to the southeast of the farmhouse at SS 9698 3792. The farmstead is labelled 446, which the accompanying Apportionment names "Westcott" and describes as "Farmhouse", owned by Sir Thomas Bucker Bart Lethbridge and occupied by William Dallyn. [1] Most of the buildings depicted on the Tithe Map were still extant when the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map was surveyed, except for the squarish building at SS 9694 3800. However, it is not clear whether the building to the southeast of the farmhouse was still standing or if it had been demolished to make way for two newer buildings arranged in an L shape, which incorporated a water mill (MSO7469). The linear range at SS 9696 3800 was also extended to the west and two new outbuildings were constructed at SS 9698 3799 and SS 9696 3798. This arrangement is repeated on the 2nd Edition map. [2,3] Modern Ordnance Survey mapping of the site shows that the outbuilding to the southwest of the farmhouse has been demolished. The westernmost of the two linear ranges to the northwest has also been removed, presumably to make way for the larger modern agricultural sheds now occupying this area of the site. [4] The farmstead was visited in March 1997 as part of the Exmoor Farmsteads survey. The farmhouse was noted to be large and probably 19th Century in date, with later alterations (including new horned sash windows). The yard was seen to the west, some of the buildings in which had been converted. A bank barn thought to date to the later 17th Century was also noted with a cheeked doorway, with a building attached to the west and a small granary near the house. The remainder was noted to be 20th Century sheds. [5]