Farmstead record COW 029 - Farmstead: Bridgefield Farm

Bridgefield Farm is a farmstead visible on the 1st Ed Os map. The farmstead is laid out in a regular U-plan with the farmhouse detached and set away from the yard. The farmstead sits alongside a public road in a village location. This farmstead survives intact with conversion for modern use. (S1-4)

A buildings appraisal was undertaken of a late 18th/early 19th century barn in advance of its demolition. The barn is curtilage listed in view of its association with adjacent Erratts Farm. The barn was constructed at the end of the 18th or early 19th century, incorporating much reused timber. A floor was inserted in the late 19th century, while the roof was replaced in the middle of the 20th century. The original function of the barn is unclear, with no evidence for internal partitions to form stables or stalls. A pair of long boards holding crudely carved hooks may have been used for hanging heavy equipment, while some tethering rings along the back wall and a central drain in the original brick floor might suggest an original use as a milking parlour or calving shed (S5).

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.