Building record RGV 045 - Moneypot Hill Farm

A historic buildings survey was carried out for Moneypot Farmhouse, a timber-framed cottage, which was irreparably damaged by fire in Feb 2006.This survey enabled the building's remains to be recorded, prior to an excavation at the site, before the cottage was demolished and a new house was built. The fire damage meant that it was impossible to produce a complete survey of the house and meant that many of the interpretations were inconclusive. The building had been constructed in two main stages in the mid and late 16th century, with a 17th century chimney insertion and extension in the 18th century. At this time the first floor was rebuilt and the timber-frame was altered in order to accommodate the new chimney. The orientation of the house may have also been altered at this time, as a study of the doorways suggests that the house may have originally faced in a different direction. Around the turn of the 19th century part of the original mid 16th century building was demolished. The building contained a number of mullioned windows, however the lack of fireplaces on the first floor and the plain carpentry used in timber-frame suggests that this was a modest residence.

The house had an unusual form and layout, which was believed may relate to the presence of an earlier medieval building at the site which had been demolished, apart from a small part incorporated into a new building. However there was no above ground evidence for this and the house itself contained no re-used timbers (S1). Excavation recovered no evidence for an earlier medieval building at the site. On excavation the archaeological evidence of the mid-late 16th century was found to be ephemeral and without prior knowledge would have been impossible to interpret, with all evidence occurring within the 16th century topsoil (S2).

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2007 (S3)