SNN107971 - Archaeological desk-based assessment of Wyndham House, Church Stowe, Northamptonshire December 2009

An archaeological desk based assessment was undertaken of Wyndham House, Church Stowe, Northamptonshire. Although little archaeological work has been undertaken within the village, there is a carved stone in the churchyard, originally part of a Roman arch, possibly suggesting Roman activity in the vicinity. Also present in the churchyard are a number of 9th and 10th century Saxon carved stones, which may be related to a possible shrine here. The church itself was built in the mid-10th century. Attendant Saxon settlement may have extended into the gardens of Wyndham House. There are a number of medieval earthworks situated around the church, largely the remains of the early manorial site, including a possible motte mound, enclosure earthworks and a fishpond. Wyndham House was formerly the rectory and was built in the early 18th century to replace the old rectory, now known as the Dower House (which is situated to the south). Maps of the house show that it retained its basic plan until at least 1773, but by 1839 the central part of the original L shape had been infilled by an extension and the south facing bay window had been inserted. Pencil sketches drawn by George Clarke at some point in the mid-19th century show the house much as it is presently, with the 2-storey bay windows and the stone gabled porch. However, a conservatory and flat-roofed dormer windows present to each of the sides of the house are no longer there. The western end of the northern range appears to have been demolished sometime after the mid-20th century. While the brick-domed top of the structure in the garden does look like an ice-house, unusually there does not appear to be any reference to the ice-house or well in any of the documents or maps.