Building record 893/0/11 - Manor Farmhouse and Granary

Manor Farm House and Granary. A mid to late eighteenth century farmhouse and associated outbuilding with nineteenth and twentieth century alterations. The farmhouse is constructed of coursed stone at the facade and east elevation and red brick laid in Flemish bond on the rear and west elevations. There are two end stacks to the shallow gable, slate-covered roof of probable late nineteenth century date. There is a single storey brick lean-to sheltering a water pump. A stone plaque with illegible inscription is located above the lean-to. The granary is of coursed stone and has a slate-covered gable roof with brick stack. The interior retains some fixtures and fittings including a stick-baluster staircase and some cupboards and door furniture probably of late eighteenth or early nineteenth century in date. The interior of the granary has been subdivided and a mezzanine inserted. In one room there is a stone sink and a large open fireplace where are range may have been located. The local estate was bought in the early 1800s by Beriah Botfield who acquired the farm and probably the country house it served. The estate was left to the Marquis of Bath who lived in the manor house until the Second World War. In 1947 the estate was put up for sale and the manor house was blown up by the army. Manor farm is an example of a dispersed farmstead, which has lost most of its farm buildings and association with the manor house.

{1} CONTEXT.
An application to list Manor Farm and the associated outbuilding known as the granary has been received by English Heritage. The buildings are under no known threat, but are to be sold and it is feared that the site could be redeveloped. The buildings are not located in a Conservation Area, and although there are no other listed buildings in the immediate vicinity, the Grade I listed All Saints church and grade II listed dwellings at 4-9 Daventry Road lie to the south-east.

HISTORY.
The local historical society have conducted research into the property, for which English Heritage are most grateful. Manor farmhouse is said to be of mid to late C18 in date. The local estate was bought in the early 1800s by Beriah Botfield, a second generation iron master from Shropshire, who acquired Manor Farm and probably the country house which it served, the property passing ultimately down to his grandson, also named Beriah. At the latter's behest, the village was relocated away from the property between 1840 and 1860. The estate was left to the Marquis of Bath, a relative of whom lived at the country house until WWII. The estate, including Manor Farm, was put up for the sale in 1947 and the manor house itself was blown up by the army. The farm passed into the hands of Christchurch College whose tenants farmed here until 1971 when the current owner bought the property with her husband. New fireplaces were put in on the ground floor and the bathroom improved, but it is said that little else was done to the farmhouse. Photographic evidence, however, indicates considerable remodelling of both the farmhouse and granary, probably in the mid to late C19.

DESCRIPTION.
A farmhouse and associated outbuilding, of mid to late C18 date with C19 and C20 alterations. The farmhouse is constructed of coursed stone at the façade and east elevation and red brick laid in Flemish bond on the rear and west elevations, the latter covered with incised render. There are two end stacks to the shallow gable, slate-covered roof of probable late C19 date. The façade has a central late C19 door with doorcase and flat hood, flanked by two openings at ground and first floor with C20 fenestration. The rear elevation has late C19 sash windows with margins and straight brick heads. There are altered openings on the first floor of both east and west elevation. There is a single storey brick lean to at the ground floor of the west elevation, sheltering a water pump; a stone plaque with illegible inscription is located above the lean-to.

The granary is of coursed stone and has a slate-covered gable roof with a brick stack. Double garage doors have been inserted in the north elevation.The south elevation has cogged brick at the eaves.

INTERIOR
The interior retains some fixtures and fittings, probably of late C18 or early C19 date, including some lightly chamfered bridging beams, a stick-baluster staircase with ring-turned newell posts, some cupboards and door furniture. There are shutter boxes to the rear sash windows which are later C19.

The interior of the granary has been subdivided into three and a mezzanine inserted. In one room there is a stone sink and a large open fireplace with simply decorated shelf over, perhaps where a small range was once located.

ASSESSMENT.
Most buildings dating to between 1700 and 1840 may warrant listing, but their suitability for designation is dependent on their architectural quality, intactness and historical significance. There are approximately 25 grade II listed farmhouses in the Daventry area alone, possessing special interest in their construction, materials and intactness.

Manor Farm is an example of a dispersed farmstead, which has lost most of its farm buildings and association with the manor house. It is unfortunate that the plaque on the west elevation is illegible as it may have added to our understanding of the building's history. However, from the photographic evidence supplied with the application, the farmhouse is a modest building, which bears the evidence of remodelling in the remaining fabric. The roof is almost certainly a mid to late C19 replacement and the rear and west wall, in later C19 brick, are a later build than the stone façade, suggesting partial reconstruction of the farmhouse at the time. Notwithstanding the presence of some fixtures and fittings of late C18 and early C19 date, notably the staircase and some cupboards and door furniture, the replacement of a significant proportion of the late C18/ early C19 fabric has diminished the architectural quality and significance of the building.

The granary, too, has been substantially remodelled and although there are features of some merit, the building has been too altered to have special interest.

<1> ENGISH HERITAGE, English Heritage Listing File (Report). SNN111579.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 6:14PM