Cullacott Farmhouse is a Grade 1 listed Medieval Hall House built in the style of a Devon Longhouse with a great number of its original features still surviving.
It is situated near the Devon and Cornwall border in the parish of Werrington.
Records date from the 14th Century when it was originally part of the huge swathes of land owned by Tavistock Abbey. In 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monastries, it was given, with other properties, to John Russell who became the 1st Duke of Bedford. Many properties including Cullacott, were sold on and by 1620 the Werrington lands were owned by Sir Francis Drake, nephew of the famous Elizabethan sailor of the same name.
The "modern extension" was built in 1579 at the time of the great Elizabethan re-build, providing grander accommodation for the evolving needs of the family of the day. It provided a retiring parlour, bed chambers and the ultimate in sanitation at the time - a garderobe. The property has evolved through the centuries with little alteration leaving an almost complete medieval house.
A feature of the property is the Great Hall with the remains of what were once magnificent murals (circa 1485 - 1525). They include a fictive tapestry together with Henry VII/VIII's coat of arms, a representation of St. George and the Dragon and a figure thought to be St. James of Compostella.
After storm damage, and with the support of English Heritage, from 1995-1997 the property was restored to provide two self catering holiday lets. The restoration of the property (jointly with the Royal Albert Memorial in Kensington) won the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' National Building Conservation Award.
”Cullacott is included in “England’s Thousand Best Houses”
A guide to England’s historic housesby Simon Jenkins