Summary
An early-C19 farmhouse, altered in the late-C20.
Reasons for Designation
Brockton Hall Farm, an early-C19 farmhouse, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* the farmhouse is likely to date to the early-C19 and clearly retains its original plan with principal rooms to the south and service range to the rear;
* despite the loss of some fixtures the farmhouse contains a good level of its original fittings including an elegant principal stair, plank doors and window shutters;
Historic interest:
* as a good survival of a pre-1850 farmhouse, its legibility helping to demonstrate how its inhabitants used the building from the early-C19.
History
Brockton Hall Farm is understood to date to the early-C19 and is depicted on the tithe map of 1839 as a regular courtyard plan arrangement, with separate farmhouse to the south. The map shows a courtyard comprising a U-shape barn arrangement with individual stalls at the south end and a further detached barn to the east, with a roughly L-shaped farmhouse to the south. The tithe apportionment describes a house, buildings, fold yard (likely to have contained sheep or cattle) and an orchard, with the surrounding farmland a combination of meadows or pasture.
The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1882 shows the farmhouse’s principal façade facing south with a projecting ground floor and a rear perpendicular range fronting the road to the east. There are several outshuts to the rear of these principal ranges. Historic mapping indicates that by 1902 these outshuts had been altered, possibly partly rebuilt, and were extended slightly to the west. In the late-C20 the former outshuts were rebuilt, with the new rear building detached at its west end from the early-C19 building to the south. In 2021, internal features were removed as part of internal refurbishment, this included the loss of the farmhouse’s secondary stair, C19 quarry tiling and some C19 joinery from the entrance hall.
Details
An early-C19 farmhouse, altered in the late-C20.
MATERIALS: constructed of brick with a slate roof.
PLAN: the farmhouse’s principal range faces south with a rear perpendicular range running north-south. To the west of this range is a late-C20 single storey building oriented east-west with a gable roof.
EXTERIOR: the farmhouse is arranged over three stories and has a gable roof to both of its principal ranges, with brick end stacks. The principal façade faces south and has a symmetrical composition with a slightly projecting central bay with brick pediment. The ground floor of the elevation also projects from the main façade slightly at ground floor and has a hipped roof with large glazing to each of the reception rooms and a central C20 glazed door with sidelights and further lights above. The C20 glazing conceals a six-panelled entrance door behind with timber fixed bench seating to either side. The first floor has three openings under brick segmental arches containing casement windows. The pediment above contains a further elliptical window. This southern range has a brick dentilled cornice.
The east elevation of the farmhouse is dominated by the three-storey rear range, with the gable of the southern range attached to the left. Two casements are contained within the second storey of the southern range, to either side of the stack which projects from the building. The rear range has an irregular fenestration across the three floors with several of the openings altered. The first-floor openings are under segmental arches with the central window bricked in. A small single storey extension is situated at the southern end.
The north elevation of the three-storey rear range has a small lean-to extension at ground floor with slate roof. Two windows are situated above, one each on the first and second floors. To the west is the late-C20 single-storey extension with steeply pitched roof. At the centre of this elevation, is a porch and passage linking the later buildings to the early-C19 buildings beyond. To the rear of the porch is an additional, later brick stack which is shorter in height than the C19 chimneys.
On the west elevation of the building, the rear, early-C19 range has a large window opening on the ground floor, under a brick arch, with four small casements above on the upper floors. The C20 extension has a small lean-to addition on its west elevation. To the right, a single casement window is situated on the second floor of the southern range.
INTERIOR: the building’s principal entrance opens onto a small vestibule with fixed bench seating leading to the entrance hall beyond with early-C19 stair in situ. The stair has an open string with curved tread ends and stick balusters. The newel post is slender and supports a moulded timber rail which ramps to the upper levels. The entrance hall retains a C19 four-panelled door to the cellar and additional panelling under the stairs. The cellar contains wall niches and substantial joists supporting the ground floor above. To either side of the entrance hall is a reception room, the west room contains original ceiling joists with a later inserted fire at the west end. The room at the east end of the house has had the ceiling beams boxed in. The north wall of this room is curved to accommodate the hallway beyond. Both reception rooms have large multi-pane casement windows with C19 panelling and shutters within the reveals. In the rear C19 range there is a kitchen with a substantial fireplace on the north wall. Any cooking grates within the interior of the fireplace have been lost with a replacement surround and mantle installed. This room also retains its C19 shutters. An early-C19 vertical plank door from the west end of the kitchen leads to the C20 extensions beyond, now containing a porch, storage area and a west range which has possibly been constructed from an earlier outshut with king post roof structure and fireplace with oven on the west wall.
The first floor of the farmhouse contains a further two rooms within its front range, containing visible ceiling beams. The rear range contains a further bedroom and bathroom facilities. On the second floor there is a further four rooms, all containing visible early-C19 roof purlins with some later repair in places. C19 iron hooks are fixed to the purlins in the north room. Between the rooms are early-C19 doors with vertical timber planks and wrought iron strap hinges. Fireplaces within these rooms have been removed.
