Site Event/Activity record ESF20849 - Building recording at Elm Farm, Helmingham

Elm Farm lies in open countryside 750 metres south-east of St Mary's church and Helmingham Hall. The adjacent farmhouse is a grade II*-listed building which dates chiefly from the early-17th century but retains a late-medieval cross-wing. The farm buildings form a large and sophisticated mid-19th century complex of red-brick and pantiled structures which illustrate the yard-based system of intensive animal husbandry known as Victorian High Farming. The complex replaced a group of three detached outbuildings shown on the map of 1840 and may well occupy the site of the medieval farm yard, but was first shown in its present form on the Ordnance Survey of 1884. The most substantial building is a timber-framed and weatherboarded threshing barn of five bays with a tall brick plinth and a rear lean-to shed that appears to have replaced an earlier porch. This shed contains well-preserved graffiti including apotropaic circles and the names of 19th century labourers. A stable to the west contains a narrow tack room with early harness hooks and an original brick floor, while the detached cart lodge and granary at the eastern site entrance is a particularly good example of its type. A range of late-19th century pig sties with low-walled yards to the south is also an unusual survival but several other buildings, including a neat-house have been extensively altered in recent years by attempts at conversion. The site has also been largely stripped of historic fixtures and fittings and accordingly no longer meets English Heritage criteria for listing. Project status: Complete Yes, Validated Yes Previous/Future Work: Previous No, Future No Associated Identifiers: Sitecode HLM 027 Planning Application No. 3061/07 NMR No. 1534663 Project Type: Building Recording Methods and Techniques: Photographic Survey Reason for Investigation: Planning condition Site status: curtilage of a listed building Current Land use: Other 2 - In use as a building Monument Type(s)/Period(s): STABLE Post Medieval , BARN Post Medieval Artefact Type(s)/Period(s): NONE None PROJECT LOCATION Area 1000.00 Square metres Grid Reference: TM19725696 Point Height 53.00 - 54.00 metres PROJECT CREATOR(S) Brief originator: Local Authority Archaeologist and/or Planning Authority/advisory body Design originator: Edward Martin Director/Manager: David Gill Supervisor: Leigh Alston DIGITAL ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: Survey Media: Images raster / digital photography PAPER ARCHIVE Recipient: Suffolk County SMR Contents: Survey Media: Report BIBLIOGRAPHY Publication Type: Grey literature (unpublished document/manuscript) Title: Farm buildings at Elm Farm, Helmingham: Historic Building Record Author(s)/Editor(s): 'Alston, L.' Date: 2010 Issuer/Publisher: SCCAS Place of Issue or Publication: Shire Hall, Bury St Edmunds Description: SCCAAS client report , sodft bound A4 colour