Farmstead record HOO 013 - Farmstead: Hoo Hall

Hoo Hall is a farmstead visible on the 1st Ed OS map. The farmstead is laid out in a regular courtyard L-plan with additional detached elements. The farmhouse is detached and set away from the yard. The farmstead sits alongside a public road adjacent to the church. This farmstead survives intact with modern sheds on site and some possible conversion for residential use.

Hoo Hall lies in open arable countryside immediately north of the isolated church of St Andrew and St Eustachius, and is presumed to be the site of a medieval manor. At the time of the tithe survey in 1846 it formed a substantial tenanted farm of 209 acres, but its ownership had become separated from the lordship. The farmhouse is listed at grade II and contains an early-17th century timber-framed structure of modest proportions in its rear wing and a façade of 19th century white brick. The 19th century barn to the north of the site is also listed, but has been converted for domestic use and, like most of the farm buildings, is now in separate occupation. The most southerly structure of the farm complex is still owned with the hall, which lies 20 metres to its south-east, and forms a pantiled structure of red brick. Dating from circa 1870 it originally contained a granary on its upper storey with a shed that may have operated as a stable beneath. The granary was reached by an internal stair with an external entrance. The building's external appearance has altered very little, but its bins have been removed and, with the exception of one window frame and two sliding window shutters on the upper storey, its internal fixtures and fittings have been lost. Although of some interest as an example of an increasingly uncommon building type, it is not of sufficient age, rarity or architectural merit to justify separate listing.

Recorded as part of the Farmsteads in the Suffolk Countryside Project. This is a purely desk-based study and no site visits were undertaken. These records are not intended to be a definitive assessment of these buildings. Dating reflects their presence at a point in time on historic maps and there is potential for earlier origins to buildings and farmsteads. This project highlights a potential need for a more in depth field study of farmstead to gather more specific age data.