Farmstead record CNW 019 - Farmstead: Heath Farm

Heath Farm lies 1km north-west of Coney Weston. 'Greystones' house to the south is not listed, but the substantial threshing barn in the centre of the farm complex is grade II listed. Described by English Heritage as a mid-16th century structure with an 18th century addition, it in fact consists of a late-18th century barn of 4 bays with an early-19th century addition of 6 bays. This extension re-uses many timbers of an imported late-16th century frame. The barn is shown on the 1843 tithe map but the entire farm is not shown on the 1777 enclosure map. Despite its later origin the structure is of considerable historic interest and merits listing at grade II as a largely intact late-18th barn with its original roof and rare evidence on its external gable of the selective manner in which red ochre was used on East Anglian farm buildings before tar. The recycling of an earlier barn to more than double the farm's capacity probably reflects the enlargement of the holding after the heath's enclosure and the resulting fragmentation of ownership in 1776. By 1843 it amounted to 237 acres of which all but 2.25 were arable. Many ostensibly medieval and Tudor barns have been depleted to a similar degree and wholesale reassembly was probably more common than supposed, but it is rare to find absolute proof as available here. The mid-19th century single-storied clay-lump stable which adjoins the south-eastern corner of the barn is also of historic value as an example of an inherently vulnerable vernacular material, which survives complete with its hay rack and the multiple wooden harness hooks of twin tack rooms (s1).

Heath House, Coney Weston. 18th century farmstead and farmhouse. Regular courtyard U-shaped plan formed by working agricultural buildings. The farmhouse is set side on to the yard. Partial loss (less than 50%) of the traditional farm buildings. Located within an isolated position (S2-7).

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.