Farmstead record WGD 030 - Farmstead: Wingfield Castle Farm

Wingfield Castle is a Grade I listed structure c. 1385 of national importance. The house behind the curtain wall bears the badge of the Jeringham family of Costessey Hall, Norwich. The Family owned the property from 1544 to c. 1624 as a high status, secondary home. It didn't become a tenanted farmhouse until the late 18th C.

The farm buildings are separately listed at Grade II:
Barn: Built by the Jeringham family in the 16th century as part of a highly fashionable 'seigniorial landscape' to aggrandise the castle. It originally extended 36.5m in length over 10 bays. The exposed timbers show symmetrical bracing and brick nogging. The structure is of vital importance to the historic context and integrity of the castle. Its originally sophisticated interior included a 3 bay stable with hay loft to the west, a 3 bay open barn in the centre and a 4 bay barn to the east. It was extensively altered in c.1860 to form part of an equally sophisticated 'model farm' with uniform brick animal sheds, cartlodge and granary. This complex is of historic importance in its own right. The barn was extended at this time by 2 bays to the E whilst the roof and lower walls were completely re-built, though many of it's original timbers were re-used. The interior was rearranged to contain a larger stable and loft with a 5 bay barn and milling shed. Despite these alterations, key elements of the Tudor structure survive, including a number of cracked tie-beam braces and evidence of windows with moulded mullions to the stable and loft (S1)(S2)(S3).

Wingfield Castle Farm, Wingfield. 16th century farmstead and 14th century manor farmhouse. Regular courtyard multi-yard plan formed by working agricultural buildings, with additional detached elements. The farmhouse is set away from the yard. Partial loss (less than 50%) of the traditional buildings. Located within a village (S4-9).

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.