Farmstead record MRM 166 - Farmstead: Beaconhill Farm

Beaconhill Farm is a farmstead visible on the 1st Ed Os Map. The farmstead is laid out in a regular L-plan with an additional Z-plan range. The farmhouse is detached and set away from the yard. The farmstead sits alongside a public road in an isolated location. This farmstead remains intact with additional modern sheds to the side.

A Heritage Asset Assessment for Beaconhill Farm to support an application for Planning permission and Listed Building Consent in respect of conversion of farm buildings into residential accommodation, with associated works. A desk study was conducted augmented by on-site survey and associated fieldwork. The farm consists of a cluster of buildings of various ages and styles.
The main farmhouse building is set back from the road, at right angles, facing onto a concrete paved yard area. To the east side of the yard is a range of (mainly old) outbuildings, which are the buildings proposed to be converted to residential use. Two other existing (mainly 19th century) outbuildings are located to the south and west side of the farmhouse, with a further modern storage building set further west, amongst trees. The earliest surviving buildings are the farmhouse and the main barn, which date from the 17th/18th century. Other buildings forming part of the main farm group date from 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including post war structures. The buildings comprising the farm group are not outstanding in terms of architectural or historic interest (reflecting the Grade II listing) and do not contain any features of particular intrinsic rarity in terms of form or function. Their significance as heritage assets is thus limited (S1).

The farmhouse is Grade II listed. Farmhouse, late 17th century. Probably originally lobby entrance but entrance door moved. One storey and dormers. Timber framed and roughcast, with plain tiled roof and barge boards. Brick stack to ridge. Scattered fenestration 20the century casements with glazing bars. 3 gabled dormers: casements. Two gabled dormers to rear with casements. Plank door in moulded casing (S2). The other pre 1948 buildings are not listed but form part of the curtilage.

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.