Farmstead record DUN 093 - Farmstead: Cliff House

Cliff House is a farmstead visible on the 1st Ed OS map. The farmstead is formed of a farmhouse and a single detached barn. The farmstead sits alongside a public road in an isolated location. This farmstead survives intact.

Cliff house Inn is a substantial gault brick building of late Georgian appearance, described as a mansion on the tithe map of c.1840.

The barn is made of re-brick and has been dated c.1830. it has a low pitched slate roof, integral lean-to, central western entrance and has been divided into two separate compartments. The Southern compartment was formally a stable with a hay loft. The rear lean-to incorporates a pair of open sheds adjacent to the barn’s rear, eastern entrance and a former tack room alongside the stable, together with a small enclosed shed entered only from the exterior. A pair of curved posts flanking the rear doorway appear to represent two quarters of a re-used ship’s mast, and a 20th century vehicle inspection pit at the northern end of the barn is understood to have been used by World Champion racing driver Mike Hawthorn, whose family once owned or occupied the property. The building illustrates the complex and sophisticated nature of early-19th century estate barns, and accordingly retains considerable historic interest despite extensive 20th century remodelling and recent partial demolition.
Figure 1

Recorded as part of the Farmsteads in the Suffolk Countryside Project. This is a purely desk-based study and no site visits were undertaken. These records are not intended to be a definitive assessment of these buildings. Dating reflects their presence at a point in time on historic maps and there is potential for earlier origins to buildings and farmsteads. This project highlights a potential need for a more in depth field study of farmstead to gather more specific age data.