Monument record SVA 001 - Westwood Hall

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Summary

Moat. listed building

Location

Grid reference Centred TM 1070 6252 (103m by 101m) Centred on
Map sheet TM16SW
Civil Parish MENDLESHAM, MID SUFFOLK, SUFFOLK
Civil Parish STONHAM PARVA, MID SUFFOLK, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (3)

Full Description

Moat. Fragments only. Isolated, occupied, crosses parish boundary. Although described on OS maps as `Moat', it seems that the main constituents of the site are two straight canals running roughly E-W. Both are straight sided (some scalloping at the top may be due to works carried out when the canals were cleaned circa 1986) with squared-off ends. The N canal is 47m long x 11m broad and had a brick lining (still visible in two or three places). The S canal is 45m long x 8m wide, with no obvious sign of a brick lining. A sub-rectangular pond 16m x 10m to the N of the E end of the northern canal, shown on the old 1:2500 map, has now been infilled. Just to the N of the W end of the northern canal is a small cottage, which is all that is left of the original hall (early C17, listed Grade II). It has the initials BG and the date 1650 on a carved wooden pediment over the door. The farm buildings shown on the 1:2500 map to the S of the southern canal have been demolished, with the exception of one long range of mainly clay-lump buildings. The N-S arm of water to the W of the cottage has been infilled, but the waterfilled moat(?) fragment on the W side of the farmyard and the broad boundary ditch to the N still survive. Several modern farm buildings have been erected to the W of the canals. Present hall, in separate ownership now, is a large brick building to the S of the farmyard. Canals are probably the remains of an Anglo-Dutch style water garden of c. 1700. Similar canals exist at Campsea Ash and Framsden, built by close cousins of the Gibsons of Westwood Hall. The initials on the house commemorate Barnaby Gibson (1597-1657); his son, Barnaby (b. 1625), had 9 hearths here in 1674; his son, Barnaby, was probably the builder of the canals (S1).

There is insufficient ground trace, and no documentary evidence
to indicate a moat or moats at Westwood Hall. The two
rectangular, water-filled ponds at TM 10706250 and TM 10716254
(published as "moat" by OS) are probably Md fishponds, but they
could be later. They do not appear to have connected to form a
moat shape. The water features extending from TM 10616255 to TM
10746261 are a series of modern drainage ditches. Westwood Hall
is a brick-built Victorian house. At TM 10686255 is a
timber-framed farm cottage with the date 1650 above the door. It
appears to be the remains of a larger house, but whether it was
the earlier Westwood Hall is not known locally. It is still
occupied but is not outstanding, (S1, S3)

Sources/Archives (4)

  • <S1> (No record type): Martin, E.A.. Martin E A, 1991.
  • <S2> Bibliographic reference: 1911. Victoria County History, Suffolk (VCH).
  • <S3> Source Unchecked: RCHME?. Various. Field Investigators Comments. F1 NKB 06-NOV-73.
  • <S4> Digital archive: Historic England. National Record Of the Historic Environment.

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Protected Status/Designation

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Related Events/Activities (2)

Record last edited

Jun 16 2021 3:10PM

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