Farmstead record COT 052 - Farmstead: Hempnalls Hall

Hempnalls Hall, Cotton. 19th century farmstead and 16th century farmhouse with converted buildings. Regular courtyard full 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 (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.

2026- Desk based assessment and survey as part of the Gardens Trust Green Futures Project. Hempnalls is an important isolated farmstead which illustrates manorial history as well as agricultural reforms, and has associations with some important historical figures. The group value of the Hall, its archaeological remains, moat, bridges, gardens and grounds including the adjoining remains of a medieval deer park, add to its significance (S7)

2026:The significance of Hempnalls Hall derives from an exceptional combination of architectural, archaeological, historic and landscape interest embodied in the Hall, moat, bridges, farmstead buildings and wider estate setting. The survival of the moated enclosure, the archaeological evidence for earlier structures, the historic farmstead layout and its relationship with the former deer park, together create a rare and highly evocative manorial landscape. The site clearly illustrates the evolution of a medieval manorial estate into a postmedieval agricultural complex, retaining its historic rural character and spatial relationship with the countryside (S8).