Building record 264/0/41 - Kiln Farmhouse, Manor Road

House. C17. Coursed limestone rubble, thatch roof, rendered stacks

{1} House. C17. Coursed limestone rubble, thatch roof, rendered stacks. 2 storeys and attic, 3 bays. Doorway in second bay from right has wood lintel and 2-panel door. 3-light window on either side with wood lintel and old iron casement. 2-light stone mullioned window with straight moulded hood in left bay. 3-light casement window with wood lintel in right bay on first floor. Two 2-light casement windows with wood lintels to left. Interior not inspected.

{3} Undated photo;

{4} Kiln Farmhouse is a listed domestic building conventionally dated to the 17th century and historically linked to the nearby manor estate. Detailed internal inspection carried out as part of a programme of historic building recording prior to refurbishment showed that, contrary to initial assumptions of a single-phase, three-cell plan, the building began as a simpler two-cell cottage comprising a hall and service room. This early phase is represented by the western portion of the building, where the principal room was heated by a large inglenook fireplace and featured exposed axial beams and ceiling joists decorated with step and run-out stops. These timbers were laid on-edge, a constructional technique typical of the post-medieval period and supportive of a 17th-century date. The building was later extended eastwards beyond the inglenook fireplace to create an enlarged hall, an additional service or kitchen room and a new cross-passage, forming a three-cell plan. This expansion likely occurred in the late 17th or early 18th century and may be associated with improvements undertaken to the manor estate around 1720. The eastern rooms were finished with plastered ceilings rather than exposed beams, reinforcing their later date. Structural evidence for multiple phases was also provided by the use of differing wall construction techniques, including wattle and daub partitions between first-floor rooms. Subsequent alterations included the re-siting of the staircase into the eastern range by the 19th century, indicating the building’s long-term use as a single dwelling. The attic space was also adapted for habitation at a later date, accessed via a straight flight of stairs. Although the roof structure has been repaired, altered and re-thatched on several occasions, most recently in 2015, the building preserves significant 17th- and 18th-century fabric and a clear sequence of development, enhancing understanding of vernacular domestic architecture associated with the manor estate.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 4/182 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F03 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Photographs of buildings in Sulgrave (Photographs). SNN113448.

<4> Adam Garwood, Guy Thompson and Catherine Wood, 2024, Historic Building Recording of Manor Cottage and Kiln Farmhouse, Manor Road, Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, OX17 2SE (Report). SNN117057.

Record last edited

Apr 22 2026 9:54AM