Monument record 5809/1 - Wateryard Spinney farm

A series of later 18th and 19th century farm buildings. Now converted to domestic use.

{1} The farm buildings adopt a distinctive planned farm layout typical of the later 18th and 19th centuries and are arranged in a U-shaped plan with a single open stockyard to the east. The site comprises a number of single-storey farm buildings and one two-storey barn built in the local vernacular style and principally using local pale yellow Northamptonshire Limestone for their main elevations. The walls at their widest measure 0.52m and are laid in diminishing courses and held in a light brown sandy lime mortar. They are faced both internally and externally and have a rubble core. All the roofs are of timber construction, are pitched and are covered with red clay Roman pan tiles with plain or half round copings. Later alterations include the addition of red brickwork to protect or accentuate some angles and jambs, and to facilitate a later phase of roof heightening and insertion of internal divisions. This brickwork can be dated to no earlier than the second half of the 19th century and is likely to be from the turn of the 20 century. Late 20th century work includes blocking using corrugated iron sheeting or with concrete blocks and the concrete hardstanding to the stockyard.

Cowsheds 1 and 2 lie to the south of the stockyard (Figure 6; Plate 6). The floor levels of both are slightly raised above that of the stockyard, suggesting the use of a deep litter system across the stockyard.
Cowshed 1 is a small enclosed space at the east end of the southern range and opens onto the stockyard. Its north wall is brick-built, presumably replacing an earlier stone wall. A vertical post 0.9m from the rear wall is the remains of a feed trough. The doorway in the east gable wall has been inserted and has a concrete lintel. The roof structure is a simple side purlin construction. The pan tiles are set onto softwood battens and are not torched.
Adjacent cowshed 2 is a larger 2 bay space with a central truss. The north elevation is constructed using 20th century concrete blocks, in which a roughly central doorway has been constructed. The door to the yard no longer survives. A line of empty sockets in the rear wall indicate the former presence of a cattle feed trough, in a similar location to that in adjacent cowshed 1. The roof structure of cowshed 2 is a continuation of that over cowshed 1 and has the same construction. The roof is supported centrally by a timber truss. It has a rustic appearance with parts of the truss ‘in the round’ and areas of bark still attached. The truss has a slightly cambered tie- beam and inset principals lapped at the apex. It supports the single side purlins on back cleats, the southern purlin chocked to counter the raking in the roof. The truss would have originally supported a ridge beam and is not contemporary with the present roof structure.

The barn is the only building in the farm complex that is two storey and therefore dominates the group. Built with stone elevations interrupted at first floor height by pitching hatches and slit ventilators, the barn was clearly designed for the storage of cattle food, hay, chaff and grain. Later alterations include the addition of brick dressings to angles, some door and window jambs. Internally the entire barn was laid with a brick floor. This flooring mainly survives although it has been covered by a screed in some areas. The barn is laid out to four roughly equal sized bays and has opposite-set door openings, possibly associated with threshing, in its east and west elevations. The east opening partly retains its ?original timber heck door. The upper section of the door survives intact. It has beaded decoration to the planks and battens and remarkably still retains its original mortice lock mechanism with ironwork decoration. The south bay and two northernmost bays are occupied by modern mezzanine floors, presumably later replacements of original granary/hay loft floors. The base of a grain hopper projects through the floor towards the west elevation. It fed a portable grain mill used for animal feed. A square owl hole is present in each gable apex. The barn’s roof structure is of a better quality than that present throughout the rest of the complex. The barn uses heavier scantling oak rafters set a 0.5m centres, rising to a ridge plank. The trusses are oak with raking queen struts and are correctly pegged at
the tie beam and at the apex. The truss supports two tiers of purlins; the lower purlins appear to be contemporary with the trusses, although the upper purlins are a later attempt at strengthening the roof. They are mainly in the round and joggled. The survey has shown that whilst this roof retains some original structural elements (trusses, some purlins and rafters) it has, in common with the rest of the buildings, been reworked and strengthened during its lifetime.
The tack room is a narrow space sub-divided centrally by a timber partition. Its north wall is constructed in red brick laid in Flemish bond. The brickwork only extends
up to purlin level, leaving a ventilation gap below the roof line. Entry into this area is through a wide door opening large enough to facilitate stock. It has bull nose brick jambs to the west, again suggesting use as a cattle pen and retains a later C 19th century soft wood plank door. Internally the area is sub-divided by a north-south plain plank partition built only to eaves/plate level. The west part of this area was most likely used as a cow shed and the east part an area for storage of tack. Six timber hangers still remain in situ.
The animal shelter is a 2 bay open-sided cow shelter situated near the south-west corner of the complex and abutting the barn to the north. The roof structure is mainly supported by a central truss which shows evidence of strengthening and support. The truss has a rustic appearance and parts are still in the round with bark attached. It has inset principals and the whole truss is held in tension by a central wrought iron king bolt. Open-sided to the yard only, the rear wall includes a small centrally located window under the eaves. It most likely dates to the period of later 19th century alterations, but its presence in an area not now suffering from low levels of light, suggests that the opening up of east side of animal shelter 4 is a later event. Internally a single post, for a gated entrance and fence line for open pens still remains in situ.

A small area built at the level of the terrace above the stockyard. It no longer retains internal features and was overgrown and difficult to access at the time of the site visit. The size of the opening and its location rules out use for mature cattle and a store has been suggested.

A three bay range of open-sided shelter sheds serve the stockyard. The rear wall of the shelters is of stone construction and serves as a spine wall for these shelters and the open sided utility/wagon sheds to the north. The spine wall has been heightened by the addition of 5 courses of brickwork which has resulted in the centre line and apex of the new roof being situated to the north of the spine wall. The roof therefore has the appearance of a lean-to roof. It is supported by three tie beams, the western two are set into the spine wall and set onto a timber plate of the open side. The roof structure is the same as encountered elsewhere. The easternmost bay of the open-sided range has been partitioned off using a low brick wall and weatherboard. This bay has a brick floor suggesting some form of subdivision/pen within the stockyard. A single opening is present within the spine wall. It was a wide opening and retains a good example of a 19th century plank door that retains its original strap hinges and wrought iron latch.

Open-sided lean-to style storage shelters built on the north side of the farm complex and notably outside the stockyard. The pitch of the roofs over both areas is continuous and provides a uniform roofline over the two sheds which are open to the north. Both were constructed as shelters to accommodate general farm machinery, wagons and tack. The lean-to added onto the north gable wall of the barn is divided by an internal north-south brick wall built in English Bond. Three timber tack hangers project from its east side. A stone wall, forming the west end of the other shed had been extended using the same style of English Bond brickwork. This work relates to the widening and re-profiling of the range. The roof structure over the lean-to is very crude, comprising timber in the round and half poles. This contrasts with the roof structure over the shed. This roof was supported by three ties set into the spine wall and onto three red brick piers to the north. This area was originally open on two sides (north and east) but has been partially blocked using corrugated iron sheeting in the late 20th century

The stockyard is enclosed by a stone enclosure wall to the east with a gated entrance. The stockyard is accessed from the east formerly through a gated entrance, whilst the gates no longer remain, both gate posts survive intact. The stone enclosure wall is built using diminishing courses and is capped by a rounded cement coping. A c.2m length of the wall, adjacent to the former gated entrance has collapsed, exposing the rubble core of the wall. The stockyard is now laid to concrete.

<1> Garwood, A., 2012, Historic Building Recording of the Farm Buildings North of Wateryard Spinney, Water Lane, Chelveston, Northamptonshire, (checked) (Report). SNN108443.

Record last edited

Oct 3 2024 11:33AM