SNN111208 - Historic building recording of farm buildings at Rectory Farm, Main Street, Thorpe Achurch, Northamptonshire

Pre-Construct Archaeology Limited was commissioned by Polpark Ltd to undertake a programme of historic building survey targeting the farm buildings at Rectory Farm, Thorpe Achurch, Northamptonshire. The Level 2 building recording was carried out prior to their conversion to residential use. The historic building survey and documentary research showed that the farm was built, along with the adjacent estate cottages, as part of improvements made by Sir Thomas Atherton Powys, Third Baron, after he inherited the Lilford Estate in 1825. The original farmstead, represented by a series of shelter sheds, a cart lodge and a hay barn, constructed using the local Northamptonshire limestone, were probably built between c.1825-1830 and not long after his inheritance. This original farm was planned adhering to principles outlined by commentators on husbandry of the time. It was built with two south-east facing open stockyards bordered by open-sided sheltered sheds, where livestock could shelter during the winter months without tethering. Depression in the late 19th century, brought about by poor harvests and cheap grain imports from the new world, resulted in many farms abandoning arable farming and moving into livestock, beef and dairy farming. The investments at Rectory Farm seem to mirror these events with the addition in the late 19th century of high quality, purpose-built cow sheds. The farm continued in use for livestock into the 20th century, and moved back towards arable, as seen by the introduction of grain silos into the southern stock yard.