Building record BLX 018 - Cartshed at Stone Farm

Stone Farm lies in open, arable countryside approximately 750 m south-west of Blaxhall parish church. At the time of the tithe survey in 1841 the farm was a substantial tenanted holding of 204 acres and the brick farmhouse appears to have been rebuilt shortly afterwards. The single-storied cartshed is an impressively large and unusually late example of a traditional type. It extends to over 21 metres (or 70 feet) in length and contains eight bays with an open arcade of ostensibly earth-fact posts to the east. It occupies the usual position for cart and implement shelters at the entrance to the farmyard immediately opposite the farmhouse. The roof and walls are well-framed in softwood with post-and-rail construction to the enclosed western elevation and both hipped gables. Until recently it was pantiled and clad in vertical tarred boarding but both the roof and walls had been stripped by the time of inspection although the arcade posts remained intact with original grey pigment. The cartshed was not shown on the tithe map or the Ordnance Survey of 1883 but had appeared by 1904 and evidently dates from circa 1890. The apparent use of earth-fast technology illustrates the longevity of this ancient technique even in substantial agricultural structures. The building is accordingly of some historic interest despite its relatively recent origin and its traditional appearance makes a significant contribution to the local landscape (S1).