Building record 1027/0/9 - Farm buildings, Cedars Farm

Group of late 18th/early 19th century brick and stone farm buildings which were recorded prior to development. The boundary wall incorporates some elements of the former farmhouse, which was demolished in the 1960s.

{1} A group of four former agricultural buildings and a boundary wall associated with Cedars Farm were recorded prior to development. Cedars Farmhouse, which was demolished in the 1960s, bounded Thornby Road. The present boundary wall retains some elements of the demolished farmhouse including a stone-framed bricked in window; the hood mouldings suggest an 18th or even late 17th century origin. The surrounding wall is built from coursed ironstone which retains lime-based wall plaster. Further blocked windows and doors also survive. A stone plaque with the date 1642 and the initials WL has been inserted into a blocked doorway and this may be from the farmhouse.
Of the surviving buildings, one on the western boundary of the site may form part of a former farmhouse as it was dominated by a large fireplace with a stop-chamfered bressumer beam supporting a brick-built chimney hood. There was probably a copper to the east. It uses part of the ironstone wall of the demolished farmhouse and may be late 18th/early 19th-century in date, although it was modified in the 19th century becoming a farm building. There was no evidence of any doorways into the adjoining farmhouse. Two of the other buildings probably date to the later 19th century and a cartshed was first shown on the 1900 Ordnance Survey map.

{2} This survey covers the stone and brick‐built western boundary wall which formed part of an earlier, now demolished, former ironstone and brick cottage of possible 18th or 19th century origins which was built in the south‐western corner of the site against the farmhouse and Thornby Road.

The southern, ironstone built, end of the boundary wall forms part of the now demolished former cottage and retains part of one of the ground floor windows. It is difficult to accurately assess the date of this part of the structure as the style of the window moulding is not very diagnostic. It seems likely to be of 18th century origin but could be earlier. The inserted 1642 datestone seen in the blocked 1950s doorway may come from this building or it may have been imported from elsewhere. The brick part of the western boundary wall forms part of the former farmhouse and is likely to be of 19th century date. The use of blue header decoration is commonly seen in this period. It is not clear when the windows were blocked but this probably happened when the farmhouse was converted into a barn. Further to the north the brick wall has been modified by the use of modern building materials to raise its height and, in the case of the open‐fronted barn, to rebuild it.

<1> Hyam, A, 2022, A Level 2 Historic Building Recording at Cedars Farm, Thornby Road, Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire, https://doi.org/10.5284/1113927 (Report). SNN113762.

<2> A Hyam, 20269, A Historic Building Photographic Survey at Cedars Farm boundary wall, Thornby Road, Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire, NGR: SP 65725 76229 (Report). SNN117035.

Record last edited

Mar 31 2026 2:29PM