Stable Cottage, Former Granary, to the north of Eglantine Farmhouse, Horton Kirby, Kent

Summary

A former late-C18 granary, used as a stable from an unknown date, converted to a dwelling in 1995/1996.

Description

A former late-C18 granary, in use as a stable when converted to a dwelling in 1995/6 necessitating repair and replacement of fabric.

MATERIALS: timber-framed with some breeze block walling on a renewed or repaired brick plinth with occasional flint panels, and slate and thatch roof coverings. The weatherboard cladding, floor-frames, roof structure and internal finishes are modern.

PLAN: a square range with outshots to the north (rear) and east.

EXTERIOR: the former granary has a late-C20 hipped roof and thatch covering and weatherboard cladding to a C18 and later timber frame (breeze block section on the east elevation), atop a brick plinth of yellow brick laid in English bond with occasional red headers and flint panelling to the right of the doorway. The north-east corner rests on a slightly projecting pier. The outshot to the north has a pent roof covered with slate: the renewed eastern outshot has a slate roof with an inserted ‘velux’ window. The main entrance is at the west elevation, approached by two granite steps, with a modern door. A second doorway is within the north outshot, with a window to the right. Window openings have been inserted at the upper level in the south and west walls.

INTERIOR: the former granary has no exposed structural timber frame to the west, south and east walls although posts to the corners are evident on the western room on the ground floor. Hip rafters are exposed in the upper room but these date to the late-C20 conversion. The north wall frame of the granary remains generally intact, comprising a sole plate, midrail, wall plate and corner post to the east, with pegged joints in places. Some of the studs show evidence of reuse, such as empty joints, and strengthening members have been added. At the west end on the ground floor, the north wall frame is disrupted by the modern entrance into the north outshot, in use as a kitchen. The granary’s north wall frame is exposed here too, with secondary diagonal straight bracing of thin scantling. Substantial rough-hewn tie beams span this space supported on pegged brackets. The east wall of this outshot is a modern construction, but the north wall and part of the west wall have exposed timber frame comprising the wall plate, studs and primary straight bracing and some sections of sole plate, also with evidence of reuse. The west wall has much renewed timber frame which may not be structural.

History

Although lying just outside the Kent Downs AONB, the Farmstead Guidance for this area, (English Heritage and Kent Downs AONB, 2012), provides a useful synopsis of the historic context of farmsteads in the Downs; including the type and form of the buildings and the materials used in their construction. The Guidance identifies granaries as typically dating to the C18 or C19, either set on staddle stones or over cartshed and stable ranges. In the Darent valley, farmsteads with medium-scale loose courtyard or larger regular courtyard plans had developed by the late C19 and included cattle housing, stables and granaries; most were as a result of rebuilding existing steadings in the early to mid-C19. Typical materials used were timber framing in C17 houses and barns, and brick and flint in C19 buildings.

Eglantine Farm is first clearly depicted on an 1801 map of the area, on which it appears to be named as ‘Aglantine Farm’. The listed buildings on the farmstead are individually identifiable on the first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1894 on which they are all present, along with what appears to be some shelter sheds attached to the southern barn. The buildings are arranged in a regular courtyard plan comprising single yards to the north and south of the farmhouse, with defining ranges of buildings, apparently within a single enclosing wall. The second edition OS map shows broadly the same configuration, but a small square building to the east of the listed farmhouse is in the position of the late C19 granary to the south of Stable Cottage. The OS maps of 1908 and 1937 indicate additional buildings constructed to the south of the southern barn, but the northern part of the steading remains unchanged. The same plan was in place in 1963.

The buildings were listed in 1982, and the barns were converted to residential use between 1993 and 1995 with the benefit of planning permission and listed building consent. The planning proposal for Stable Cottage (Ref: SE/95/01186) describes the building as the stable block and the conversion ‘to form ancillary accommodation to the adjacent barn’. Consent was granted for conversion in September 1995. The officer’s report cites the Conservation Officer’s opinion that the building makes ‘group contribution’ to the listed barns, but does not apparently note that the building is listed in its own right. The report acknowledges that the building is in poor repair, but that the surveyor states that three out of the four walls are sound; the local authority (LPA) attached a condition on the consent requiring that the building was converted but not rebuilt.

Stable Cottage was probably a granary originally and from the scantling of the exposed rear (north) wall is likely to date to the mid to late C18. The natural downward slope of the land from east to west would have provided sufficient elevation for the building particularly at the centre and west side where the building could have been supported on staddle stones or on brick piers. These were probably replaced by the deep plinth when the building became a stable at later date, possibly when the late-C19 granary was built to the south of it.

Photographs taken in December 1995, in advance of conversion to ancillary domestic use, show the building in a dilapidated condition. The roof to the granary had collapsed inwards and required replacement. The wall frames of all elevations were intact to full height and comprised studs, wall plate and midrail with some remaining weatherboard cladding. Two outshots were at the east elevation; one of single-storey with a shallow pent roof at the south end and a second to the north had a breeze block external wall and a pent roof from the height of the granary wall plate. At the west elevation of the granary, the door opening was in a different position and the plinth of brick only. The north outshot was intact with a pantile roof; part of a projecting brick pier supported the building at the north-west corner. Internally, the upper floor frame was in a parlous condition and partially collapsed.

The plan-form of the converted dwelling has a kitchen in the north outshot, two ground floor rooms in the former granary, a bathroom in the single-storey outshot to the east and a single room on the first floor above accessed by a straight run staircase against the rear wall of the former granary. To achieve this, elements of the historic building required replacement, the most significant changes being a new roof and thatch covering to the granary, renewed slate coverings to the outshots, renewed weatherboard cladding, new floor frame and the renewal and rebuilding and possible heightening of the plinth to accommodate under-floor heating. The two outshots to the east have been replaced with one. Internally, given the desire of the Local Planning Authority to convert rather than rebuild, it is reasonable to assume that the wall frames of the west and east walls survive behind the plaster.

Reasons for Listing

The C18 former granary at Eglantine Farm, converted to a stable historically and then to a dwelling known as Stable Cottage in 1995, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* It is acknowledged that the south elevation, roof structure and floor frame to the former granary have been replaced but the rest of the timber frame structure is either exposed or remains beneath modern plaster finishes;

* The timber frame displays typical characteristics of agricultural buildings, including some evidence of reuse and secondary bracing, but is well-built utilising historic carpentry of note.

Historic Interest:

* The conversion from a granary to a stable demonstrates the evolution of regional agricultural practice.

Group Value:

* The converted granary retains a very strong proximal and historic functional group value with the listed barns and farmhouse in the former Eglantine Farm complex.

External Links

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