Building record 2240/0/11 - Rectory Farmhouse, Thorpe Achurch

Part of a planned farm built in the early 19th century by Sir Thomas Atherton Powys.

{1} Building recording of farm buildings prior to conversion to residential use in 2015. The farm was constructed in the early part of the 19th century, along with the adjacent estate cottages, as part of improvements made by Sir Thomas Atherton Powys after he inherited the Lilford Estate in 1825. The original farmstead was built of local limestone and comprised a series of shelter sheds, cart lodge and hay barn. Further buildings were added in the late 19th century and comprised purpose-built cow sheds and, later, pig sties.

The survival of mid and late 19th century fixtures and fittings, including the brick built troughs within buildings, the cast-iron and later ventilating windows and the survival of original doors, ironmongery and floor surfaces, is notable.

{2} The farmhouse and adjacent farm buildings were assessed for listing by Historic England, but were not considered of sufficent architectural or historic merit.

A former farmhouse built for the Lilford Estate in the mid-C19 and with later additions and alterations.
MATERIALS: built of buff gault brick laid in Flemish bond with stone dressings and brick plinths. The roofs are covered in concrete tiles and there are brick stacks. The window frames are variously timber and uPVC casements and all of late C20/ C21 date.
PLAN: a two-storey house, with cellar, built on a south-east/north-west orientation. The primary range appears to be a T-plan with additions to the north-west and a later front porch. There are former farm buildings to each side, also on a south-east/ north-west orientation and connected by a C21 garden wall to the rear of the house.
EXTERIOR: the principal elevation (south-east) has a wide gabled bay to the left and two bays set back to the right with a projecting brick porch. The gabled bay has a nine pane window under a stone hoodmould with labels to the ground floor. To the first floor is a narrower six pane opening, also with a labelled hoodmould, and there is a ventilator slit in the gable above. There are stone dressings including kneelers and coped verges to the gable. To the right, the stone porch has a pitched tile roof with stone eaves coping and the door has a stone arch with a stone shield above. To the right is a nine pane opening and there are two casements above with dormers with stone dressings, including shields, breaking through the eaves. The north-end gable wall has an external brick chimneybreast and C20 brick end stack, and stone coped verges. At the south end of this roof is a C19 brick ridge stack with stone banding.
The broad south flank elevation has a lancet stair window to the left at first-floor level and the area of brick below has previously been painted. To the left are two small window openings. Attached to the left is a gabled two-storey wing, which is set back from the main flank wall and has a C20 brick porch. It has two first-floor windows breaking through the eaves to both north and south elevations, with stone dressings. The openings have replacement frames and lintels. The gabled north-west end has stone coped verges with decorative kneelers above a blank brick elevation. The roof has a brick end stack with stone capping. To the left side of the north flank elevation of the rear range is a brick lean-to with stone coping. To its left is a narrow, gabled two-storey addition which provides a first-floor cloakroom to the house.
INTERIOR: the porch opens into a corridor by a principal room and leads through an arch into the hallway. The C19 staircase has stick balusters, newels with decorative caps and slender handrails. Historic fittings to the interior include C19 fireplaces to some principal rooms, joinery including panelled doors, iron door furniture, scullery fittings and a servant’s bell indicator.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: to the north and south of the house are single-storey stone outbuildings with rebuilt gables facing the road, and brick alterations. The north building has been built out in brick as part of its conversion to a garage, and includes a date stone of 1852 to one elevation. The south building is partly converted to an office. No historic fittings are known to be in these buildings.

<1> Garwood, A., 2015, Historic building recording of farm buildings at Rectory Farm, Main Street, Thorpe Achurch, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN111208.

<2> English Heritage, Designation Advice Report, 1471576 (Report). SNN113190.

Record last edited

Apr 8 2022 12:13PM