Farmstead record SUT 216 - Farmstead: Vale Farm

Vale Farm is a farmstead visible on the 1st Ed Os map. The farmstead is laid out in a regular full plan with additional detached elements. The farmhouse is detached and set away from the yard. The farmstead sits alongside a private track in an isolated location. The farmstead survives intact with some conversion for residential use.

An archaeological monitoring was carried out on land at Vale Farm, Sutton (TM 3194 4534); SUT 298. Ground reduction in timber framed farm buildings, along with groundwork for drainage, was monitored during July to September 2009. A number of archaeological features were recorded, including pits and foundations for demolished buildings. None of these can be shown to pre-date the barns. No finds were recovered during the fieldwork (S1).

Group of 19th C timber-framed and weatherboarded buildings, including a 5 bay barn, a stable with a hayloft above, loose boxes, shelter sheds and a cartlodge with a granary above. Several buildings retain original fixtures and fittings (S2).

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.