Building record 821/5/1 - Ashton Estate Office (Formerly Chapel Farm House)

Ashton Estate Office, formerly Chapel Farm House. Historic maps show that there has been a building on the site since at least 1810. A stone bearing the date '16-7' has been incoporated into a later renovation suggesting that the building has its origins in the 17th century. The building has undergone a number of additions, and alterations are likely to have been carried out by William Huckvale during the remodelling of the Rothschild's Ashton Estate. The former farmhouse is now used as the Ashton Easte Office and a dwelling. The building is two storeys and is constructed from coursed limestone, with a slate roof covering. It is built to a T-shaped plan. It has a pitched roof with two gable stacks and two ridge stacks. On the ground floor there is an entrance hall with a passageway, from which is accessed a suite of rooms that are used as the estate office. A quarter turn staircase with square vase newel post and balusters leads to the two first floor rooms. There are some built-in cupboards in the main rooms, as well as fireplaces and some panelled doors. The entrace retains its Edwardian encaustic floor tiles. The part that is occupied as a dwelling has been completely refurbished. There are two outhouses to the rear.

{1} Ashton Estate Office, formerly Chapel Farm House. Two storeys, parapeted gables, long main range with a wing at the rear, has a datestone inscribed ‘1627’ but a mullioned window is the only visible feature of this date. No early fittings survive.

{2} The Ashton Estate, stretching from the River Nene near Oundle in the west to Ashton Wold in the east, has been occupied since Roman times. In the 18th century it was a well-known sporting estate, with avenues of chestnut trees planted in a cross as rides, and a number of fox coverts. In the early 19th century the estate was owned by William Walcot and was largely farmed by tenants, with Ashton Wold continuing as a sporting ground. However, there is no evidence that it had ever contained a manor house, and when in 1860 it was purchased by Lionel Rothschild the sale particulars describe it as 'a very valuable and important landed estate', with sporting advantages, but no house adapted for the occupation of a gentleman. Both Lionel Rothschild and his son Nathaniel Mayer, 1st Lord Rothschild (1840-1915), showed little interest in estate, and the only structural work undertaken in the 19th century was the building of a hunting lodge at Ashton Wold. However, when Lord Rothschild's second son, Nathaniel Charles (1877-1923) - known as Charles - discovered Ashton by accident, he was so impressed by the rich fauna and flora of Ashton Wold that he persuaded his father to build him a house on the site of the hunting lodge. In 1900 Lord Rothschild commissioned William Huckvale to design not only a house, but a model farm, an entire complement of estate buildings. Most of the cottages at nearby Ashton were rebuilt to create a model village.

Historic maps indicate that there has been a building on this site since at least 1810, although a date stone bearing the inscription "TL 16_7" which has been incorporated into a later renovation, would suggest that the building has its origins in the 17th century. It lies immediately to the north of the Grade Il listed Chapel of St Magadelene, from which it presumably takes its name. The building has undergone a number of additions throughout its history, which have changed its footprint over time. It is likely that it's remodelling and alteration were the work of William Huckvale. The sales particulars of 1858 describe Chapel Farm as "a commodious and respectable stone and slated house" and lists all of its accommodation which included three attics, five bedrooms, two parlours, kitchen, washhouse and a long list of other ancillary domestic and agricultural buildings. The building is no longer used as a farmhouse and has in recent years been sub-divided. The majority of the building is used as the Ashton Estate Office, while the range to the southern end is occupied as a dwelling.

Little is known about William Huckvale (1847-1936) who worked mainly for the Rothschilds and designed a number of buildings for the Rothschilds on the Tring Park and Aston Clinton estates, undertook considerable work at the Rothschild bank in New Court in the City of London, and was the architect for the Royal Mint Refinery. The quality of his work is reflected in the 42 listed buildings he already has to his name, 13 in Tring and 29 on the Ashton Estate.

The building is a two-storey, former farmhouse, constructed from coursed rock-faced limestone, with a slate roof covering. Its plan is essentially T-shaped.

The building has a pitched roof with two gable stacks (one stone the other brick) and two brick ridge stacks. The principal elevation which faces east is of five bays wide, and has a series of three gabled dormers which break through the eaves line. There is also a flat-roofed stone porch in the centre of the façade, which contains the entrance to the estate office. The windows are 20th century side-hung, timber casements, at ground and upper floor, with three over three panes. There is also a small two-pane window above the porch and also a six-pane window at the north end.

The south elevation is formed by the junction of the rear crosswing with the southern end of the main range, to form an L shape. This section of the building is Chapel Farmhouse, as distinct from the Estate Office. There is a single-storey entrance porch, with a hipped roof, attached where the two sections abut. The façade has a scattered fenestration arrangement of 20th century timber-framed side-hung casements of varying pane sizes, and there is a pair of raking dormers in the roof of the crosswing. There is a two-light stone mullioned window at first floor level in the south-facing gable end.

The rear elevation (west facing) which includes the north facing elevation of the crosswing, contains the rear entrances to both the Estate Office and Chapel Farmhouse. A pitched roof lean-to has been added to the main range, and a porch has also been added which abuts the lean-to and the crosswing. Apart from the porch, the timber windows and doors are mostly 20th century replacements. The building abuts the adjoining farm complex at its north-facing gable end.

On the ground floor there is an entrance hall with a passageway, from which is accessed a suite of rooms that are used as the estate office. A quarter turn staircase with square vase newel post and balusters leads to two first-floor rooms. There is also a secondary enclosed stair located in the north-east corner of the building. There are some built-in cupboards in the main rooms, as well as fireplaces and some panelled doors. The entrance hallway retains its Edwardian encaustic floor tiles.

The part that is occupied as a dwelling has been thoroughly modernised and refurbished to modern living standards, including the insertion of new partition walls and staircase.

There are two outhouses to the rear of Chapel Farmhouse which do not have special interest.

Chapel Farmhouse is not recommended for designation for the following principal reasons. Its design quality is modest and it does not share the quality of design and craftsmanship of other buildings that form part of the Ashton Estate. It has been subject to significant alteration with consequent impact on its external appearance. Group value with other estate buildings does not compensate for the level of alteration and modest architectural interest.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1984, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.18 Site 4 (checked) (Series). SNN77384.

<2> ENGISH HERITAGE, English Heritage Listing File, Heritage Protection Adviser, 26th October 2009 (Report). SNN111579.

<3> Historic England, Undated, ASHTON ESTATE OFFICE, ASHTON, BF084335 (Archive). SNN116066.

Record last edited

Feb 5 2025 6:38PM