Monument record STN 064 - High Lodge Farm; High Lodge; Downham Lodge

Downham (High) Lodge, site of. Shown (and named) on maps of 1755 (Lodge, S1); 1783 (Downham High Lodge, S4); 1791 (Downham Lodge, S3 - note within enclosure, see STN 061); April 1800: rough sketch plan of 3 mile highway diversion through the warren shows Downham Lodge in elevation (surveyor W.Webb,S9); 1812 (shown in profile as tower like structure with central door and window above next to one-storey building, labled 'The Warren Lodge Downham High Warren in the tenure of John Turner'; Map of the Santon Estate); 1836 (Downham High Lodge, S4); 1882 (OS)(Highlodge Farm, with range of farm buildings to north); 1905 (Highlodge Farm, S5 - with range of outbuildings) and lastly in 1959 (not named, S6). Demolished before 1980 (S6). Traces of brick footings still survive (S7).

1991: Only remains are bases of flint and brick (mainly red) wall stubs. White brick from corner of ?Farmhouse measures 238mm (9 3/8") x 121mm (4 3/4") x 37-41mm (1 3/8-1 5/8"). Probably C18 or early C19.
TL 8102 8489: dense scatter of black platform gunflint knapping waste - ?workshop site. Quality finishing debris only - no initial knapping waste, ? late C18 - early C20. Overgrown - full extent unknown. Presumably associated with farmstead.
September 2003: Small scale excavation and survey of outbuildings prior to small scale landscaping revealed brick and knapping waste construction (S8).

Possibly site of medieval warren lodge. Evidence of rabbit warren in 15th century (Bailey) in Shardalowes sub-manor (note references to this in Brandon documents in Suffolk Record Office (Bury)(& see national archives website).
For Warren banks see STN 035 & 087.

2010: The Breckland Society survey of The Warrens of Breckland identified possible site of warren lodge. "Lodge Field is marked on Cadogan Estate Map of 1791 enclosed by internal banks. Probably owned by Ixworth Priory when Warren was in existance by 1440 (S14). Also Downham Lodge is marked on Hodskinson's 1783 Map (S14) Lodge confirmed as close to where the Oak Lodge community building is now situated (S15).

November 2017. 'Brecks from Above' and Breckland National Mapping Programme.
High Lodge Farm, described above, is visible on 1940s aerial photographs (such as S10), together with its associated outbuildings and boundaries. Earthwork remnants relating to the demolished buildings are visible on imagery from a recent lidar survey (S11-S12). However, as the farm is depicted on historical maps (detailed above), the site has not been mapped by the project.
S. Tremlett (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 3rd November 2017.

March 2013: NMM Project condition report (S16)