Monument Type(s):

• FARMHOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1901 AD)

Summary

The site of a post medieval farmhouse, since demolished.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events: None recorded

Description

1. The house consists of unequal bays, suggesting that it has been modified from an earlier structure. Notice in particular the lack of symmetry on the front elevation at a period when one would have expected symmetry to exist.
2.The existing plan appears to divide into parlour, stair passage (which does not appear to be based on an earlier cross passage dimension), a house part/living/kitchen, then two rooms of equal sizes which would not normally exist in that sort of plan form at all and, in this case, seem to consist of a small sitting room with corner fireplace, possibly for housekeeper or servant use, and a passage to an internal porch in a timber framed portion of the house, which also gives access via a staircase to the upper floor of the cross wing, again, presumably, for servant use. The timber framed portion also had a fireplace and may have been used as a small servant's hall; it was later converted to a dairy. There is a lean-to addition which appears to have been used as a wash-house and outside toilet. The cross wing accommodation is also extensive and appears to have been yet another wash-house and store rooms. A major point which can be gleaned from this discussion is that th~ majority of the house, approximately two-thirds, is given over to food preparation, dairying and washing, and obviously housed a large farm servant and farm labourer population. The family occupied only a third of the house, but this was superior accommodation, the rest of the occupants being relegated to the old timber framed portion - a classic example of its decreae in status. The cross wing is a typical service wing of the early nineteenth century, notice in particular the reversal in policy between the seventeenth century and nineteenth century: in the former period, cross wings were superior' wings housing parlours, in the nineteenth century they degenerate to service wings only.
Dimensional Details
The width of the house is approximately 16' and compares with similar widths for seventeenth century houses. The length of the house part is approximately 19', and this also compares. The length of the minor rooms - 8'8", does not compare with standard width of any sort of cross passage, which is normally at least 10', but may well be a modification of former service wing, i.e. buttery and pantry. The length of the timber framed portion - 11' 3"- is not long enough to be anything other than a small parlour, but could conceivably be a former cross passage. The roof construction has been completely altered, presumably in the early nineteenth century, and there are five late queen strut trusses, -the two at the north end encorporating the very mangled remains of earlier trusses. The fire beam in the house part/kitchen does not appear to belong to the existing fireplace, which suggests that the existing quite narrow stack is a rebuild and modification associated with a later phase (see summary) and the width of the fireplace, although it is
5'6", does.not have the appearance of an earlier type of inglenook. Doorways measure approximately 3'3", with the exception of that from the house part into the staircase passage, which is 3'7", and are largely typical early nineteenth century in width. The wall thicknesses in the staff wing suggest that the hall and the south bay are additions in the nineteenth century. There are certainly breaks in the wall plate at this point.
Elevations - General Points
1. The central stack and the end stack of the cross wing have been re-built approximately halfway up.
2. The cross wing has previously housed a lean-to addition facing east.
3. The windows on the main door elevation, that is either side of the main door have" been re-hashed.
4. The south gable elevation shows a multi-phase brick repair on the lower portions and the end stack at this point has been re-built.
5. There is a blocked window in the south gable wall and on the rear, that is west, elevation at the south end.
6. All windows on the rear or west elevation appear to have been altered.
Details - Elevations
West elevation
1.There is a break in the wall bonding, which corresponds to a change in wall thickness, i.e. from 16" to 13", between the kitchen or house part and the staircase passage.
2. There is a blocked window, as mentioned above,in the existing parlour, blocked presumably because it faced the farmyard.
3. There is a very faint trace of a blocked doorway in a position where
it is opposing the existing porch door on the east elevation,and this could lend the staircase passage some cross passage significance, although it must be stressed that the evidence is very fragmentary. This may be merely a window to light the staircase passage.
4. There is no change in the bonding from the break in the coursing at the join of the house part and staircase passage to the north end, suggesting a continuous replacement of the timber frame along the major portion of the house.
East elevation and Section A
1. The door porch and the door appear to be quite modern and possibly early to mid twentieth century.
2. All windows to the south of the cross wing on this elevation are modifications of an earlier narrower format.
3. There is an interesting pointed headed window v/hich is possibly for access to a pigeon loft in the east elevation of the lean-to outshot.
4. There is a small blocked opening at the join of the cross wing and the main range on the east elevation, which certainly would suggest that
the cross wing is a later phase.
Section B
1. There is oak wattle infill inbetween close uprights, a format of a 20" width of upright and a 13" width of infill: this is a typical
medieval/sub-mediaeval format.
2. The floor beams in the ceiling frames appear to have been inserted and are early seventeenth century in date (see elongated scroll stop
with a step).
3. The floor level has been straightened and pushed upwards - see the tile infill under the beam in the beam slot.
4. There are straight braces.
5. There is a door opening central at first floor level and there is ample evidence for a door head. This appears to be original to the flooring over because there are no mortices in the door jambs..
6. Note that the new building is narrower than the earlier house. The earlier one appears to have been approximately 22' in width, and this is again a typically sub-mediaeval/mediaeval dimension.
7. The roof construction is side purlin, which again is typically submediaeval.
8. The jowelled out. Corner posts exist, which show the housing for the original wall plate.
9. A frame is pegged from the south side, which suggests that the frame was reared from the south.
10.There are some redundant peg holes, which cannot be explained in terms of a functional use, but this is a typically Shropshire phenomenon.
Section C
1.This is a closed truss, at least at first floor level where the evidence survives.
2.Ground floor evidence is fragmentary but housings on main beams are present, although the floer has been pushed upwards in line with the other floor joists.
3.There is very little evidence of redundant peg holes, which suggests a primary frame.
4.The floor definitely appears to be inserted and the proportions of both the early seventeenth century floor level and the raised nineteenth century floor are totally wrong for the two cross frames (if the existing, ground floor levels have not been dug out). The ceiling heights are approximately 9' as they exist, and this is a very important criteria , which suggests that the cross frames have originally contained a space - open to the roof and thus must be at least a sub-mediaeval date.
5.The format of the frame suggests a date between 1500 and 1550.
6. Again there is evidence that the building has been made narrower than the original frame.
7.A stack has been inserted into this cross frame.
First Floor Plan
1.The wall plate formerly housing the timber frame upright extends to the south junction of the house part with the staircase passage.
2.There is evidence for some framing in the rear wall of the. Cross wing, that is the east elevation.
3.At least three windows on the rear elevation have been inserted or, more probably, modified from earlier window openings.
4.The existing first floor plan reflects largely the arrangement below, apart from the area of the house part or kitchen, which is divided into
two rooms.
5.The cross wing division is quite~xtraordinary: the end bay on the far side of the stack is open to the roof, and the middle room is sealed off by a false partition, thus only one room in the cross wing at first floor level can be reached by the winding staircase ascending from the passage below.
Field Notes gained during the Process of Demolition
1.The rear or west elevation is constructed of three bricks in thickness at ground floor level, tapering to a two brick thickness at first floor window level
2.The bricks in the what is presumed to be the extension at the south end are of the same colour and texture as the remainder of the building, which suggests that they are probably from the same kiln and of the same local clay. This is indicative of a local kiln.
3.There is a break in bonding in the external brick skin at the end of the main house part on the rear elevation where it joins the staircase passage.
4.The front elevation wall thickness is 9 or 10" from the south end to the end of the staircase passage.
5.All windows and the main door have been re-hashed and are possibly updated from a smaller narrower sash window.
6.The lintel over the skew entrance to the timber framed portion at the north passage end is a re-used cross rail with a channel for wattle and daub.
7.Stops on the main beams in the timber framed portion are of an elongated scroll type with a step - a typically early seventeenth century format. ->

-> Summary
Phase I
A sub-medieval house for which only evidence of one bay remains. The presence of this bay is exciting on this site in view of the excavated evidence for mediaeval occupation and further correlation between the two periods needs to be investigated. The sub-mediaeval house undoubtedly carried on southwards but the evidence is fragmentary for this particular phase outside of this bay, although a timber framed house is certainly present ,at least extending to the south junction of the house part, (present kitchen) with the staircase passage. This fact was deduced from inspecting the building during the process of demolition. The function of this bay is largely unknown, although it could, from its dimensions, be a former cross passage. If this is so, then Section C is a possible spear truss which places the former open hall to the north of this truss and partly on the site of the present - barn, and the buttery/pantry to the south of Section B. This implies that:-
Phase II
The hall was demolished and the cross passage floored over. At the same time the buttery and pantry were encorporated into an early seventeenth century timber framed house (the buttery and pantry now form the existing - link passage between the extant timber framed bay and the small housekeeper's room with a corner stack. It is interesting to note that this may be perpetuating the buttery/pantry division. The vast proportion of this Phase II timber framed house was remodelled in Phase III and only the spine beam and their accompanying chamfers and stops remain as dating evidence. But it can be postulated that the existing kitchen/house part formed the house part of the timber framed house, the dimensions of length 19' and width 16' being normal for the seventeenth century period.
Phase III
The brick house was ,remodelled from the early seventeenth century timber framed house in a number of phases and these have proved the most difficult to elucidate by studying the format of the brickwork.
Phase III(a) - possibly mid to late eighteenth century - a replacement of all the external wall frame of the timber framed building extending from the end of the sub-mediaeval bay to the south end of the kitchen or house part and including the former buttery or pantry. The ceiling frames appear to have been raised also in ground floor rooms and there may have been an introduction of narrow double hung sash windows.
Phase III(b) - possibly early nineteenth century. This consisted of the addition of a staircase passage and south wing or bay to form a prestigious parlour range to facilitate the separation of the family from the servants and farm servants. The wall thickness is increased,. Possibly a desire for (i) greater stability for this superior wing, or (ii) increased insulation. The cross wing is possibly contemporary, as is the insertions of new wide centre opening casement windows throughout to match the new nineteenth century windows in the new extension.
Phase III is particularly interesting as it illustrates the rapid growth between Phases III(a) and III(b) in the peiod of 50 to 100 years of an increased prosperity in farming life at this period, i.e. between 1750 and 1850. <0>

Photographic record of farm carried out as part of BUFAU work on site. <7>

Sources

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