Farmstead record MDD 018 - Farmstead: Valley Farm

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Summary

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.

Location

Grid reference Centred TM 4275 6684 (91m by 97m)
Map sheet TM46NW
Civil Parish MIDDLETON, SUFFOLK COASTAL, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (8)

Full Description

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.

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).

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.

Sources/Archives (5)

  • --- Unpublished document: Campbell, G., and McSorley, G. 2019. SCCAS: Farmsteads in the Suffolk Countryside Project.
  • --- Vertical Aerial Photograph: various. Google Earth / Bing Maps.
  • --- Map: Ordnance Survey. 1880s. Ordnance Survey 25 inch to 1 mile map, 1st edition.
  • --- Map: Ordnance Survey. c 1904. Ordnance Survey 25 inch to 1 mile map, 2nd edition. 25".
  • <S1> Unpublished document: Alston, L.. 2010. Historic Building Record: The Old Dairy, Valley View, Cottage, Middleton, Suffolk:.

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Record last edited

Sep 26 2019 1:28PM

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