Farmstead record RMR 039 - Farmstead: Sunnyside

Sunnyside, Rushmere. 19th century farmstead and farmhouse. Regular courtyard full plan formed by working agricultural buildings. Thefarmhouse is set away from the yard. Significant loss (over 50%) of the traditional farm buildings. Located within a loose farmstead cluster (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.

Daisy’s Barn was constructed in the late 18th to early 19th century. The barn is shown on the 1837 tithe map in its current location and with a similar plan form. It is a part brick-built, part timber-framed agricultural building aligned on an east–west axis, located east of Sunnyside farmhouse and southeast of Rushmere Hall. It is laid out over four in-line bays with a northern side aisle and a small lean-to on the western gable. The building was developed in three main phases:
Phase 1: Original construction as a four-bay barn, comprising a three-bay threshing barn with a central midstrey and a separate eastern bay, likely used as a loose box. The barn was timber-framed above brick wall plinths and originally thatched.
Phase 2: In the early to mid-19th century, the barn was enlarged with the addition of a north aisle, constructed with brickwork containing burnt headers and ad hoc timber framing. This phase may reflect investment during the Napoleonic and Anglo-American wars.
Phase 3: In the mid to late 19th century, the eastern and western gable ends were rebuilt in brick, replacing earlier timber framing. A lean-to was added to the west, a brick-built shed to the east, and a hayloft inserted in Bay D, indicating a shift toward livestock and dairy farming following the repeal of the Corn Laws (S7).