Slads Farmhouse, Threshing Barn and Stables, Long Newnton, Gloucestershire

Summary

Farmhouse, probably of early-C18 date with later additions of the late-C18 and early-C19, and associated agricultural buildings comprising threshing barn and stables.

Description

The Farmhouse consists of three distinct phases dating from the early-C18 to the early-C19.

MATERIALS: The house is unified by an overall covering of render but is likely to be constructed of Cotswold rubble stone. The east range has a stone slate roof and the remaining two ranges have fishscale tiled roofs, as does the open porch to the east range.

PLAN: A two-storey farmhouse with cellars. The east range forms a U-shaped plan with its single-storey range of ancillary buildings. The farmhouse has been extended to the west, with two distinct, single-depth, two-storey ranges.

EXTERIOR: The south elevation comprises the principal façade of two building phases. To the left is the two-bay, two-storey range with hipped dormers to the attic, and gable-end stacks. To the right is the three-bay, two-storey range with gable-end stack. To the ground floor is an open porch. This range forms a U-shaped plan with the single-storey range of ancillary buildings which abuts the east elevation and continues to the south, forming a courtyard. This east range has been extended to the rear (original rear wall retained to the interior) and absorbed by the catslide roof. The building to the rear comprises a three-bay range with an axial and gable end stacks. To the left of centre is a gabled porch with four-centred arch opening. To the corners of this range are angled buttresses. To the south-west elevation are two adjoining lean-tos. The fenestration is a mixture of sash windows, Yorkshire sash windows and casements.

INTERIOR: The phased development of the building is internally readable. The east range comprises a two-room plan. One room is now the hall and provides access to the later additions to the building. The other room contains opposing fireplaces, (although a partition has now been inserted), a cross beam, and a winder staircase to the left of the east fireplace. The rear wall of the house survives and includes a six pane window to the ground and first floor. The single-storey addition to the rear includes a large fireplace to the east gable wall. This extension also provides access to the cellar via a door formed of upright struts, providing ventilation. The west ranges comprise large reception rooms to the front and rear. The reception room to the rear includes a cast-iron arch grate with tiled inserts and a marble surround, wooden cupboard with linenfold carving, and cornicing. The upper floors are accessed via an early-C19 staircase with ramped handrails. At first floor is a winder staircase providing access to the attic accommodation. To the first floor of the later ranges all of the bedrooms have cast-iron grates of various designs and wooden surrounds. With the exception of several Edwardian doors, the surviving six panel and plank doors with associated door furniture, including leaf shaped ends to door handles, are largely late-C18. The roof was not inspected.

To the south-east of the farmhouse is the L-shaped plan of the five-bay THRESHING BARN and attached STABLES which date to the early-C18.

MATERIALS: Constructed of coursed rubble stone with ashlar dressings. The threshing barn has a stone slate roof and to the ridge is a stone ball finial surmounted by a weather vane. The stables have a corrugated iron roof.

EXTERIOR: The threshing barn has opposing double doors in projecting gable-end porches. The porch facing onto the farmyard has a side door. To the right of the porch there is a lean-to extension built of stone to the front and brick to the side elevation. The east gable end has a pitch hole with large stone jambs, cill and lintel, beneath a stone relieving arch. The stables are a two-opening range, with two stable doors and three windows to the ground floor, and a taking-in door to the hayloft above.

INTERIOR: To the interior of the threshing barn, over the porch, is a granary. The roof trusses are C19, denoted from the iron fixings, and are formed from collars with king posts and angled struts, with entrenched purlins to the principal rafters. The stables retain their trough, manger and the first-floor hayloft with boarded floor. To the boarded partition of the hayloft is a daisy wheel. The roof structure of the stables is a pegged, double-collar construction.

History

Slads Farm is situated within the parish of Long Newnton, which was formerly part of the county of Wiltshire until 1930. It is located within the Estcourt Estate and lies to the north of Estcourt Park, a Grade II Registered Park and Garden. The Estcourt Estate was acquired by Walter de la Estcourt in 1303, and it remained in the family until the end of the C20. One of the family, Thomas Grimston Bucknall Estcourt, was named as executor of the will of Thomas Marshall, the owner of Slads Farm, who died in 1830.

It is evident from the fabric of the building that Slads Farmhouse is an amalgamation of three distinct phases, dating from the early-C18 to the early-C19. The three bay range to the east is the earliest phase and is likely to be contemporary with the stables and threshing barn to the south. The farmhouse was extended to include a single-storey addition to the rear of the east range. To the west, facing away from the farmyard, is a three-bay, two-storey addition which is likely to be late-C18, and to the rear of this range, overlooking the farmyard, is a two-bay, two-storey range with dormers to the attic which appears from its fabric to be early-C19.

Slads Farm is depicted on the Long Newnton Tithe Map of 1838 and the footprint of the farmhouse and associated agricultural buildings survive largely unaltered. There are two further agricultural buildings depicted to the west which have since been demolished. The addition of the single-storey lean-to to the west elevation of the farmhouse is first illustrated on a plan of the Estcourt Estate dated 1865. The additional lean-to to the west elevation and the gabled porch to the north elevation are first shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (1882).

The farmhouse underwent refurbishment and gentrification in the late C19 which is manifested in the fittings such as cast-iron grates, marble and wooden mantelpieces, fingerplates and cornicing which are not typical of a Cotswold farmhouse. This gentrification is supported by the survival of the Inventory of Fixtures taken to Slads Farm by J. Garlick dated the 26 February 1881. This inventory includes the grate and marble mantelpiece of the drawing room, the grates to three bedrooms and the fingerplates throughout the house.

The historic fabric of the threshing barn and stables suggests that they are both C18 buildings. The threshing barn includes a granary to its porch, this type of granary is a traditional Cotswold feature of the C18. The stables have an C18 pegged, double-collar roof and the apotropaic (evil-averting) mark of a daisy wheel to the timber partition in its hayloft, is a feature which occurred in the C18.

Reasons for Listing

* Architectural and Historic Interest: the survival of a largely-complete C18 farmstead, which forms a cogent group;
* Legibility: the plan and functions of the buildings are clearly evident in their surviving fabric;
* Intactness: the farmhouse and agricultural buildings retain a significant proportion of their historic fabric;
* Regional Distinctiveness: the employment of vernacular traditions which are characteristic of the Cotswold region adds to the interest of the buildings.

External Links

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