Farmstead record MDD 018 - Farmstead: Valley Farm

2010: Valley Farm is a grade II-listed building of the late-16th or 17th century and the unusually well-preserved early-18th century barn to the east is listed at the same grade. The barn contains a stable at one end and a cartlodge with a granary above at the other. The old dairy is a single-storied shed of poor-quality brick rubble with a pantiled roof that incorporates a number of miscellaneous re-used carved stones in the manner of a folly. It is not shown on the 1839 tithe map, but appears for the on the 1904 Ordnance Survey map and was built in circa 1900. The building lies in close proximity to the farmhouse and retains a fragmentary hot-water copper. It was probably designed as a wash-house for domestic or agricultural purposes, but was much altered in the mid-20th century when an internal partition was inserted to divide the copper from an area that is known to have operated as a dairy and retains a stone shelf. There is evidence of a blocked original door and window to the east, but a second door and two additional windows are later insertions. The internal lime render of the southern gable retains a number of incised apotropaic (evil-averting) symbols that are often found on both domestic and agricultural buildings from the late Middle Ages onwards. These take the form of the Marian letter 'M' (i.e. for the Virgin Mary). Designed to protect against 'evil spirits' their appearance in a relatively late context such as this demonstrates the longevity of the superstition in Suffolk. The building is not of special architectural or historic significance (S1).

Valley Farm is a farmstead visible on the 1st Ed Os map. The farmstead is laid out in a regular U-plan with additional detached elements. The farmhouse is detached and set away from the yard. The farmstead sits alongside a public road in an isolated location. The farmstead remains intact with additional modern sheds on site (S2-5).

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.

2020: The three-bay timber framed, thatched barn dates from the mid 17th century. A timber framed, thatched stable was added to the NW (gable) elevation of the barn in the 19th century, between 1839 and 1884. A brick and pantile, open fronted building (a cart lodge or store) with granary above was added to the SE (gable) elevation of the barn by 1884.
The barn, which was the hub of the historic farmstead, originated as a three bay threshing barn with a threshing floor in the middle bay with opposing doorways to create a through draught for hand flailing the corn before mechanised threshing was available. The bays on either side would have accommodated threshed and unthreshed corn and waggons would have entered via the full height doorway in the NE elevation. The lofts in the N and S bays were inserted in the late 19th/early 20th century and are not part of the 17th century structure. The S bay contains grain bins and a timber hopper from which sacks could be filled on the ground floor.
Valley Farm was the first farm in the area to acquire and electricity supply. Mr Riggs had an engineering background and, between the wars, a 5 h.p. diesel generator with glass accumulators was housed in the barn, providing power for two houses and the barn. This was later superseded by a petrol generator (information from Mrs Barnes). The small, brick and pantile lean-to attached to the NW elevation of the stable was probably built soon after the stable, in the late 19th century. A small, open-fronted, extension with corrugated metal roof was added to the NE elevation of the granary (attached to S end the barn) in the early 20th century and is shown on the 1927 OS map (S6).