Farmstead record WLV 056 - Farmstead: Whitehouse Farm

The property was known as Ralph's Farm in the early-19th century, from which the present unlisted farmhouse survives. The farm buildings adjoin the lane on the west and form a large and sophisticated complex of uniformly pantiled re-brick sheds arranged around a series of animal yards with a 9-bay timber-framed double barn on the east. It resembles the architect-designed 'model' farmsteads often found on affluent estates of this kind, but was in fact built in at least two and probably three principal phases during the mid- and late-19th century. The barn and a much altered granary to the north-east are the earliest buildings on site, probably dating from the 1840s or 50s, but were remodelled in or about the 1870s as part of a new yard complex to which further additions were made in the 1880s. The resulting complex survives largely intact externally, and numerous compartments can be recognised from detailed descriptions in sale catalogues. The 'splendid range of compact farm buildings' included two covered bullock yards with central feeding passages, a stable, granary, cart lodge, engine house and numerous loose boxes. The double barn was built with two threshing floors, each with full height entrances on both sides, but its western doors were later blocked by shelter-sheds and its interior subdivided to create a 'chaff barn' and 'corn ban'. The interiors were stripped of historic features and fittings when they were converted to accommodate pigs in the mid-20th century. Only the barn preserves significant features in the form of a complete late-19th century drive shaft with intact drive belts, chains and pulley wheels, illustrating the mechanised nature of Victorian High Farming (S1).

Whitehouse Farm, Woolverstone. 19th century farmstead and farmhouse. Regular courtyard multi-yard plan formed by working agricultural buildings. The farmhouse is set away from the yard.The farmstead is extant. Located within a hamlet (S1-6).

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.