MSO10748 - Zeals, Selworthy (Building)

Farmhouse, now dwelling. Possibly late medieval, ceiled late 16th century, altered and enlarged mid 19th century. Rendered over rubble, painted random rubble extension, Roman tiled roof, bargeboarded left gable end, lateral stack to right of door with circular top and slate roofed bread oven, circular stack right gable end and painted brick stack rising from eaves left. Plan: suggested open hall house, ceiled to 3-cell and cross passage with later additions at rear and gable ends. One and a half storeys, 1:2 bays, all 20th century wooden casements, one set below eaves right, ground floor 2 left and one right with entrance beside stack, stable-type door with double Roman pentice tile porch abutting stack; long catslide roof additions below stack and right gable end with overhanging eaves, part tile hung on facade with 2-light window. Extension at rear. Interior not seen, said to contain 3 pairs of jointed cruck trusses, some rising from floor level, timber framed partitions and turret stair. [1] A late medieval cross passage farmhouse. The orginal cross passage plan survives, as do the main roof structures and and some of the ground floor partitions. The roof trusses are all smoke blackened. The proprty is limewashed with a black tar band on the front (south) face only. The west, east and north faces are exposed rubble stone. The porch is weatherboarded. The property has a selection of outbuildings whose external apperance matches that of the main house. [2] The building was visited in May 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [3] In Selworthy, thatch continues to be the most common type of roofing material, but during the late 19th to mid 20th Century there was some replacement with Bridgwater pantiles, double Roman tiles and similar variants, for example Zeals farmhouse. A further late medieval jointed cruck cross-passage house, dating from the late 15th to early 16th Century. Apart from being ceiled in the late 16th Century, its original plan survives largely in tact. There are also timber (plank and muntin screen) partitions and a rear stair turret. Proximity to the church and green, also ensures it is an important element of the historic built environment. [4] The building is labelled "Zeals" on 2020 MasterMap data. [5]