Building record 445/0/51 - Elms Farm and outbuildings, Church Street

A Victorian farmhouse constructed from red brick with a hipped slate roof. Locally listed building.

{1} Elms Farm is a substantial holding in the centre of the village, comprising the main Victorian farmhouse with outbuildings to the rear and a sizeable paddock. It is a prominent building on Church Street, set back from the roadside, adjacent to the church.
The farmhouse is built of red brick with a hipped slate roof and decorative brick stacks at the north and south ends. The building is two storeys tall with three bays, with a decorative, large brick porch on the principal elevation with a leaded canopy. The windows have stone dressings in the form of decorative segmented arches and keystone detailing, as does the entranceway. The property also has stone quoins and a stone string course at the second level. The windows have been replaced with unsuitable modern uPVC alternatives. The outbuildings to the rear are also built of brick with slate roofing and can be seen from Church Street and the churchyard. The property is enclosed by a tall brick wall, which has been rebuilt to the front and has decorative iron railings.

{2} A level 2 Historic Building Survey was undertaken on a range of a two-storey, stone-built stables and barns extending to the north-east of the farmhouse. The barn had a full-threshing height barn at the south-eastern end. The roofs are slated. Door and window surrounds are built in brick which indicates a 19th century construction date.The affected barn also incorporates earlier re-used timbers. The difference in building materials suggests a different phase of construction between the farmhouse and barns. At the north-east end of this range is a cross range set on a north-west to south-east alignment. It is this range which will be demolished. The main farmhouse is entirely brick-built with ashlar stone decoration which is markedly different to the barns. This could suggest that the house and barns are of a different but relatively close construction date. Alternatively it is possible that the barns were present before the 19th century but were substantially modernised and refurbished when the farmhouse was built. This suggestion could be supported by the brick-built gable end of the threshing barn which does not match the rest of the barns and may imply that the barn, at one time, may have continued further to the south-east. The re-used timber beam in the barn is an interesting item with its decorative stop-chamfer showing that it was most likely to have been first used in a much grander building.

<1> Daventry District Council, 2020, Crick Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan, p. 66-7 (Policy Document). SNN112346.

<2> Hyum A, 2022, Level 2 Building Survey, The Elms Farm, 6 Church Street, Crick, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN116621.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2025 4:18PM