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http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ |
| The Barton (the medieval name for a small manor house) first appears in records around 1350, but a recent archaeological study revealed a Saxon window frame in the kitchen. The main body of the house and outbuildings, however, date from the 17th century with additions made in the 18th century. |  Welcombe Barton
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The Barton is a smallholding and comprises a two-storey, cottage-style farmhouse surrounded by a barn, bake house, granary, pigsty, well house and other agricultural buildings. Each building is constructed of locally sourced slate and stone with pitched timber roofs. Different roofing materials have been employed over the years, but it is likely that the original material was straw thatch.
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It is believed that a tunnel may once have connected the Barton to nearby Welcombe Church, but sadly all traces of this have vanished. 
The current owner of the Barton is the Yarner Trust, an educational charity whose headquarters are based in the main manor house building. The Barton was gifted to the charity in 1979 as part of a working farm. Sadly the buildings have gone without repair for many years and urgently require restoration. The barn in particular is suffering from damp penetration and some cracking due to movement. Despite an ongoing process of restoration, several of the outbuildings cannot currently be used.
The charity intends to expand the Barton's role as a venue and accommodation for educational courses in ecology, organic farming, horticulture, agriculture, conservation, and other subjects relating to the preservation of the farmed environment. It is hoped that the restoration of the manor and barn will significantly expand the facilities offered by this valuable historic resource and enable it to generate enough income to pay for its future upkeep.
Lying on the Atlantic coast, on the border with Cornwall, Welcombe is part of the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Welcombe probably began as a series of neighbouring, self-sufficient farmsteads in the Anglo-Saxon period. Eventually, those farms would merge to create the village, but thereafter the way of life in Welcombe probably changed little from its first mention in the Domesday Book to its next appearance in a census in Victorian times.
The arrival of the industrial age and better transport would break the village's comparative isolation from the rest of the country. Today Welcombe is still a thriving farming community but is also now a popular holiday destination.
This article can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/restoration/2006/sw_welcombe_barton_01.shtml
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