Summary of Historical Development and Statement of Significance Manor Farm, Rocklands Road, Shropham NHER Nos and 46254

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1 Summary of Historical Development and Statement of Significance Manor Farm, Rocklands Road, Shropham NHER Nos and Background 1.1 This report has been commissioned by Hutton + Rostron Environmental Investigations Ltd to form part of a Natural England Higher Level Stewardship Management Plan in respect of the granary/cart lodge at Manor Farm, Shropham. 2.0 Manor Farm, Shropham 2.1 As a manorial site and later part of the Norwich Great Hospital/Norwich Corporation Estate, Manor Farm Shropham has a well documented history. The ownership and occupation of Manor Farm was thoroughly researched and documented for the Thornton family by historian Geoffrey Kelly in The Development of the Farmstead 3.1 Until the late eighteenth century, Manor Farm was located on the edge of the extensive commons of Shropham. An estate map of 1758 (Fig. 1) provides early visual evidence for the landscape setting and layout of the farmstead by the mid eighteenth century. The map indicates that the farmstead at that time consisted of a rectangular plan house to the south with a large barn aligned north/south to the north-east of the house and four smaller buildings dotted around the site. Fig Shropham Estate Map (NRO/BR 276/1/201) The Great Hospital estate lands are coloured in red. 1 Geoffrey Kelly, Unpublished (2002) report on Manor Farm, Shropham deposited in the Norfolk Heritage Centre. 1

2 3.2 The parliamentary enclosure of Shropham ( ) established the presentday Rocklands Road through the former area of common to the west of the site. The 1801 Enclosure map (Fig. 2) marks the new road along with the old boundary of the common. Fig Shropham Enclosure Map (NRO/BR 276/1/701) The old common boundary is marked in green. 3.3 Although the detail is limited, the farm site broadly follows that shown on the 1758 map showing the farmhouse and barn now with five small buildings around the site. 3.4 In the years following Enclosure, the farmhouse was rebuilt in a polite Georgian style. The present house is listed as circa 1840 although may be a little earlier. Kelly noted an allowance of 600 in the Great Hospital Treasurer s accounts for the year 1822 which he considered in view of its context most likely related to the rebuilding of the farmhouse Enclosure also allowed an area of former common land between the farm and the new road to be taken in and a small park-like area established. A new access drive was created and a lodge cottage built on the road. 3.6 The 1839 Shropham tithe map unusually records no buildings at all other than the church 3. By the next available large-scale survey, the 1888 Ordnance Survey six inch map (Fig. 3), the entire farmstead appears changed. 3.7 From 1809 to circa 1913, various members of the Mann family leased the estate. Notably, the last of these, Fairman J Mann, was married to the novelist Mary Mann. It appears that during the Mann family s tenure there was a gradual gentrification and renewal of the site. 2 Ibid, p The tithe map and schedule have been examined but extracts are not included here in view of the absence of detail. 2

3 3.8 A brief examination of the remaining traditional buildings in the farmstead suggests that, with the exception of the granary/cart lodge, they all date from a similar mid to later nineteenth century period and display the same king post roof construction. Fig Ordnance Survey Six Inch Map (not to scale) Fig Ordnance Survey 25 Inch Map (not to scale) 3.9 The inch Ordnance Survey map shows very similar arrangement to that of The only changes appear to be the loss of a building immediately north of the granary and the addition of an open sided building into the easterly range. 3

4 Fig RAF Aerial Photograph 3.10 By the time of the air photo (Fig. 5) the buildings forming two enclosed yards to the west of the main barn had been reduced. By 1988 (Fig. 6) a modern agricultural building has been inserted to the west of the barn. Fig Norfolk County Council Aerial Photograph 4

5 Granary/Cart Lodge Fig. 7 The present day farmstead 4.0 Granary/Cart Lodge 4.1 The building at the farm which is the subject of the management plan is a small granary and cart lodge located to the east of the main house. In view of the wholesale rebuilding that has taken place at the farm, it is not possible to confidently relate the granary building to any of the small buildings marked on the 1758 and 1801 maps. 5.0 Building Description 5.1 Late eighteenth or early nineteenth century three-bay granary with open sided cart lodge beneath. 5.2 Horizontally weatherboarded timber frame construction with low brick plinth to gable ends only. Timber frame consists of heavy scantling principal posts with arch-braced low transverse beams set at approximately two thirds height of tops of principal posts to create sufficient volume above for grain storage. Jowelled corner posts with concave jowels and provision for tie beams. The gable end tie beams are cut and jointed to the door jambs which are in turn jointed to the collar and the transverse bridging beam. Straight bracing from sole plate to principal posts and transverse bridging beam to tie beam. 5.3 Brick on edge infill between the studwork and bracing of granary walls. Vertical grooves on the principal posts relating to former subdivision of grain bins. Floor of closely spaced joists with close fitted boards. Additional joists have been fitted along centre of structure on steel shoes. 5.4 Roof of principal rafters with morticed collars and single sets of wedged tenoned butt purlins and ridge piece. Clay pantile roof covering. 5.5 Later pigeon loft formed in southern end bay with series of flight holes in door. 5.6 The granary formerly had an external stair to the western end (marked on Fig. 4) 5

6 6.0 Statement of Significance 6.1 The building is a relatively uncommon farm building type. The traditional East Anglian granary was built in large numbers across the region when grain prices were high in the late eighteenth and early nineteeth century. A tendency to structural failure however means their survival rates are poorer than many other traditional farm building types. 6.2 Although itself an undesignated structure, the granary/cart lodge lies within the curtilage of the listed farmhouse. Both the farmhouse and lodge are Grade II listed and are included on the county s Historic Environment Record (numbers and 46254). 6.3 In addition, the farm occupies a manorial site and although most of the buildings on the site have been re-built during the mid nineteenth century, the granary survives as the earliest building on the site. 7.0 Considerations 7.1 Granaries are generally difficult to date with precision as their heavy construction is not typical of its period and is specific to its building type. The absence of any detail on the tithe map and wholesale rebuilding that has taken place on the site in the nineteenth century limits the usefulness of the available map evidence in relation to this structure. 7.2 It should also be noted that the building description was prepared when only one bay remained in situ; the other two were in process of reconstruction using original timbers as far as possible. Alison Yardy, Heritage & Landscape Officer, Norfolk County Council, June 2010 Sources 1758 Shropham Estate Map (NRO/BR 276/1/201) 1801 Shropham Enclosure Map (NRO/BR 276/1/701) 1838 Ordnance Survey One Inch Map 1839 Shropham Tithe Map and 1841 Apportionment Schedule (DN TA 421) 1888 Ordnance Survey First Edition Six Inch Map 1905 Ordnance Survey Second Edition 25 Inch Map RAF Aerial Photograph 1988 Norfolk County Council Aerial Photograph Carter, Alan and Wade Martins, Susanna, A Year in the Field: The Norfolk Historic Farm Buildings Project (Centre of East Anglian Studies, 1987) Kelly, Geoffrey, Unpublished 2002 report on Manor Farm, Shropham deposited in the Norfolk Heritage Centre. 6