Site Event/Activity record ESF20883 - Historic Buildings Record - Barns at Abbey Farm, Culpho

Abbey Farm lies in open, arable countryside approximately 350 m north-west of Culpho parish church. The farmhouse is a grade II-listed early-17th century building which occupies an exceptionally large and well-preserved moat of 1.4 acres. The parish did not possess an abbey but its church and one of its two manors belonged to Leiston Abbey. The agricultural buildings flank the entrance to the moat and form a large mid-19th century complex of red-brick cattle yards and sheds with an early-19th century timber-framed and weatherboarded range to the rear. At over 46 metres or 150 feet this range is of exceptional length and incorporates a barn with two threshing floors and a single-storied stable and granary to the east. The western end of the barn towards the moat incorporates four early-17th century bays that originally formed a smaller barn of three bays which faced the entrance to the moat. This adjoins an unusual single-bay structure of similar or slightly earlier origin and was extended to form a barn of 9 bays with two threshing floors in circa 1820. The 17th century structures are contemporary with the present farmhouse but probably reflect a much older layout and may occupy the position of 13th or 14th century agricultural buildings which formed part of a gated 'base court' through which the moat was approached. They are accordingly of considerable historic significance, but have probably been too heavily altered to meet the strict English Heritage criteria for listing. Project status: Complete Yes, Validated Yes Previous/Future Work: Previous No, Future Not known Associated Identifiers: Sitecode CUP 027 HER event no. CUP 027 NMR No. 1536140 Project Type: Building Recording Methods and Techniques: Photographic Survey Reason for Investigation: Direction from Local Planning Authority - PPG16 Site status: Scheduled Monument (SM) Current Land use: Other 2 - In use as a building Monument Type(s)/Period(s): BARN Post Medieval , STABLE Post Medieval , GRANARY Post Medieval Artefact Type(s)/Period(s): NONE None PROJECT LOCATION Area 1127.00 Square metres Grid Reference: TM20784933 Point PROJECT CREATOR(S) Brief originator: Local Authority Archaeologist and/or Planning Authority/advisory body Design originator: Edward Martin Director/Manager: David Gill Supervisor: Leigh Alston DIGITAL ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: other Media: Images raster / digital photography, Survey, Text PAPER ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: other Media: Report, Survey BIBLIOGRAPHY Publication Type: Grey literature (unpublished document/manuscript) Title: Agricultural Buildings, Abbey Farm, Culpho, Suffolk CUP 027 : Historic Building Record Author(s)/Editor(s): Alston, L. Other Bibliographic Details: SCCAS Report Date: 2010 Issuer/Publisher: SCCAS Place of Issue or Publication: Bury St Edmunds Description: A4, comb bound, white cover with colour photo (also available as PDF)