Listed Building: MANOR FARM BARN (503765)

WICKHAMBROOK 832/0/10040 WICKHAM STREET 27-FEB-08 MANOR FARM BARN GV II A 3 bay barn to the east of the Manor House. DATE C18 with C19 remodelling. MATERIALS Timber framed on a brick plinth with pantile gable roof and exterior weatherboard cladding. PLAN Rectangular with outshots on the north-west and north-east elevations and an addition to the south-east EXTERIOR On the south-east elevation there is a double door probably of C18 date. INTERIOR A largely intact timber frame of reasonable quality and substantial scantling remains. The wall posts have jowled heads; the midrails and most of the studs are present, some of the latter fashioned from reused timbers. The C18 wall plate with scarf joints remains and the sole plate appears to be present but has been obscured by concrete render. There are primary straight braces in the wall frames. The clasped purlin roof is largely intact but has additional nailed collars and bolted kneebraces to the tie beams replacing the original straight braces. The central rear bay almost certainly had a midstrey which has been remodelled in the C19 when the roof was curtailed to form an outshot, and the wall frames reconstructed including reused mullions in the studwork. The double doors on the south-east elevation are probably the original. The western door jamb of which has graffiti with the initials T L and the numbers of 753. It is probable that the number 1 has been obscured and that this represents a date of construction of 1753; certainly the carpentry of the barn is consistent with this date. HISTORY Wickham Street lies to the south of the village of Wickhambrook, a scattered village with a relict Saxon landscape including eleven greens. Although closely located to the unlisted manor house, the barn is historically associated with Brookhouse farmhouse, a C17 timber framed house, listed in grade II, with which it has considerable group value. The barn has some C19 remodelling and in the C20 concrete render has been applied to the lower portion of the wall frames. The barn has clearly had a number of uses, most recently for milling flour attested by remaining C20 mezzanine and equipment at the east end. SOURCES Aitkens, P. 'A report on the Architectural History of a Barn at Manor House, Wickham Street, Wickhambrook' Unpublished consultants report, March 2007. REASON FOR DESIGNATION DECISION Manor Farm barn is recommended for listing in grade II for the following principal reasons. * It has a substantially intact timber frame of good quality containing comparatively few reused timbers. * It is probable that carved numerals and initials on a door jamb indicate a construction date of 1753, which adds considerably to its special interest. * It has group value with the grade II listed Brookhouse Farm with which it is historically and functionally related. LISTING NGR TL7574454163