Farmstead record AST 024 - Farmstead: Ashfield Lodge, Clowe's Corner

Ashfield Lodge was originally known as 'Clow's Corner Farm' and was owned in the 19th century in conjunction with 147 acres by at least two generations of the Cooke family who enlarged the grade-II listed house and were responsible for its present name. The property was originally built in the late 16th century as a substantial timber-framed Yeoman farmhouse of two stories. Its layout reflected the typical pattern of the period with a central hall dividing a pair of service rooms on the north from a parlour on the south. The hall was entered by a cross-passage and heated by a large high-end chimney adjoing the parlour. A contemporary or possibly slightly earlier threshing barn with a high quality timber frame forms the western side of the farmyard beyond the service gable. A number of impressive late-16th century features survive, including a solid-treader stair to the attic and a particualrly fine arched fireplace in the parlour which retains its original red ochre pigment. Many more are likely to be hidden behind the plaster of a major late-Georgian refurbishment which concealed the great majority of the timber frame. In c.1820 the original rendered eastern façade was raised in height beneath a shallow-pitched slate roof to form a new attic half-storey while an entirely new façade with a central entrance leading to a stick-baluster staircase was added to the parlour gable on the south. At least part of the attic storey was designed only for external effect as the 16th century rafters were retained internally. The southern brick façade incorporated a new rear wing that was approximately 1m tall that the 16th century gable it disguised, and its sash windows simply overlapped the earlier internal ceilings. Mirrored glass hides this deceit in a highly unusual manner, although this may represent a more recent alteration (S1).

The detached rear barn is a timber-framed, weatherboarded and pantiled granary of 1.5 storeys built largely from pine in the 1850s or 60s but incorporating a high proportion of second-hand timber that was probably salvaged from a previous granary shown on the 1837 tithe map. This earlier structure lay closer to the farmhouse and was demolished to make way for a large new extension to the rear of its kitchen wing. The granary is typical of its period, extending to four bays with a first-floor loading door that would have been reached by a missing external stair and evidence of rendered brick between the timbers to support the weight of grain sacks. It illustrates the increasing specialisation of local farm buildings during 19th century and is accordingly of historic interest. Its external appearance remains largely original when viewed from the house, despite the renewal of its cladding in the late-20th century, and provides visual and historic context to the nearby threshing barn after the demolition of the rest of the farm buildings shown on maps of the 1980s. The western gable has been completely rebuilt and glazed in a very modern style but this is visible only from the adjoining field (S2).

Ashfield Lodge, Ashfield cum Thorpe. 19th century farmstead and 16th century farmhouse. Regular courtyard U-shaped plan formed by working agricultural buildings. The farmhouse is set away from the yard. Significant loss (over 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.