Farmstead record CRO 010 - Farmstead: Wood Farm

2009: A brief building recording was carried out on the property. It was determined that the granary door with its ironmongery details and boarding surrounding the building were of particular interest (S1).
The Granary is south of a 17th C listed farmhouse, orientated gable end to the road, with the doors facing west into the farmyard. It is timber-framed and was originally constructed as a stable. The carpentry indicates that the first phase frame is early 18th century, however the building is not on the tithe map of 1840, suggesting that it wasn't erected on its present site until after then. The original structure was modified during the mid 19th century to create a first floor grain store over the stable, which was also converted into a cart shed. The first phase of the building is a traditional oak frame with the common studs pegged to the wall plate and trenched for slender windbraces. The principal framing members include open truss posts at the centre of the building mortised for arch braces which ran up to a tiebeam that was removed to accommodate the inserted floor. The floor joists are machine-sawn softwood. The south wall has been strengthened with the addition of softwood studs placed between the original uprights. The first floor was accessed by an external wooden staircase, which rose to a landing cantilevered over the cartlodge doors. The loft contains three grain bins at the east end; the walls and ceiling of the grain store are lathed and plastered on which are pencilled inventories of the produce stored in the loft. Granaries of this kind were once commonplace, but most have been stripped of their fixtures and the grain bins are among the best 19th century examples to survive in the region. The introduction of this building to the farm and its conversion reflects agricultural changes which occurred during the Napoleonic Wars (S1&S2).

Wood Farm, Crowfield. 17th century farmstead and 15th century farmhouse. Regular courtyard E-shaped plan formed by working agricultural buildings. The farmhouse is set away from the yard. Partial loss (less than 50%) of the traditional farm buildings. Located within a loose farmstead cluster (S3-8).

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.