Farmstead record TMM 012 - Farmstead: Grove Farmhouse

Early 19th century house with earlier origins possible. Grade II listed. Timber frame on brick base, plastered. Hipped black glazed pantiled roof, red pantiles to rear. A three cell front range with three wings extending to rear to form a large almost square block. Two storeys. Main range has three three-light glazing bar casements in moulded frames with hoodmoulds, offset plinth, boxed eaves, a gap to right of centre where rises an axial ridge stack, red brick with white brick dressings. Three bay right return has a central entrance, a recessed 6 panelled door with a traceried fanlight, pilastered doorcase with projecting hood, 16 pane flush moulded frame sashes, 12 panes over entrance. Slightly shorter left return has mixed two and three-light casements with hoodmoulds, an internal end stack of exposed red brick with white brick dressings, rear gable end lean-to outshut. Longer wings to centre and right have hipped roofs to rear with two red brick stacks in central valley (S1).

June 2015: A Heritage Assessment was carried out on the barns behind Grove Farmhouse to inform an application for planning permission. These are not listed but are in the curtailge for the farmhouse. The barns and adjacent annexe building are typical Suffolk rural vernacular. The walls are predominately Soft Suffolk red brick laid in a variety of bonds and render (Flemish garden wall bond, lime and sand/cement render with expanded metal lath). There is some fairly contemporary cement block and wood cladding used in some areas. The roofs are traditional cut roof trusses with clay pantiles. The doors are traditional planked ledge and brace construction and the remaining fenestration is steel ‘Crittal’ type. The functioning gutters are contemporary plastic. Being a utilitarian structure used primarily for storage, the roof has no sarking or insulation. This mixture of materials from different eras within the same building is typical of a functional agricultural building. The barns are well built, in good condition and interestingly the main barn around the courtyard is built completely square with the same overall dimensions in both directions (S2).

Grove Farm, Thornham Magna. 19th century farmstead and farmhouse, with converted buildings. Regular courtyard multi-yard plan formed by working agricultural buildings, with additional detached elements. The farmhouse is set away from the yard. Partial loss (less than 50%) of the traditional farm buildings. Located within an isolated position (S3-8).

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.