Farmstead record FSF 062 - Farmstead: Vales Hall Farm

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Summary

Vales Hall Farm, Fressingfield. 16th century farmstead and 17th century manor farmhouse. Regular courtyard multi-yard plan formed by working agricultural buildings with a detached secondary smaller yard to the south. The farmhouse is set away from the yard. Partial loss (less than 50%) of the traditinal farm buildings. Located within a loose farmstead cluster.

Location

Grid reference Centred TM 2531 7871 (111m by 154m)
Map sheet TM27NE
Civil Parish FRESSINGFIELD, MID SUFFOLK, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (4)

Full Description

15th or early 16th C barn. Timber- framed and weather boarded. With an exception of its queen-post roof structure, which was replaced in the 19th C, the 6-bay barn is largely in tact. It also contains evidence of an original floored stable with diamond-mullion windows at its eastern end. The frame is of "exceptional quality" with uninterrupted oak studs, incorporating arch-braces with rare spandrel struts - possibly unique survivals in a barn.
The southern porch is a mid-17th C addition retaining its original clasped-purlin roof.
Details in (S1).

Vales Hall Farm, Fressingfield. 16th century farmstead and 17th century manor farmhouse. Regular courtyard multi-yard plan formed by working agricultural buildings with a detached secondary smaller yard to the south. The farmhouse is set away from the yard. Partial loss (less than 50%) of the traditinal farm buildings. Located within a loose farmstead cluster (S2-7).

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.

Sources/Archives (7)

  • <S1> Unpublished document: Alston, L.. 2008. Archaeological Record: Vales Hall Farm, Fressingfield, Suffolk.
  • <S2> Unpublished document: Campbell, G., and McSorley, G. 2019. SCCAS: Farmsteads in the Suffolk Countryside Project.
  • <S3> Map: Ordnance Survey. 1880s. Ordnance Survey 25 inch to 1 mile map, 1st edition.
  • <S4> Map: Ordnance Survey. c 1904. Ordnance Survey 25 inch to 1 mile map, 2nd edition. 25".
  • <S5> Vertical Aerial Photograph: various. Google Earth / Bing Maps.
  • <S6> Map: Ordnance Survey. 1949. Ordnance Survey 6 inch to 1, mile, 3rd edition. 1:10,560.
  • <S7> Map: 1841. Fressingfield Tithe Map.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (2)

Record last edited

Jul 25 2020 6:07PM

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