Mulberry House Farm Wenden Road Arkesden Saffron Walden
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Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 1 Mulberry House Farm Wenden Road Arkesden Saffron Walden RG Heritage Statement 16 November 2020 Index Location 2 Mulberry House 2 Mulberry House Farm Frontages 2 Heritage Significance 2 Hobs Aerie 2 Historic maps 3 Surrounding Photographs 3-5 Existing Farmyard Layout 6 Farmyard Photographs 6-11 BRD Proposals 11-12 Consideration 12 Appendix 12 Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 2 Location Mulberry House Farm is located north of the valley of Wicken Water, around 500m north of Arkesden, on the south slope of the escarpment, near the ridge and aproximately 2 kilometres west of the M11. Mulberry House Farm is part of the small group of buildings to the north of a fork in Wenden Road with the lane towards Long Lane (north west). The neighbouring property to the north east is Hobs Aerie, a grade II Listed Building. Mulberry House Mulberry House was rebuilt in the early twenty first century. The south front façade is a well mannered symmetrically fronted two storey building with a central neo-classical porch and door in a five window wide house design. It is constructed with red brick walls and a hipped slate roof. It is set in a relatively recently replanted former garden orchard which has yet to mature. Mulberry House sits in the south corner below the L-shaped site of these proposals. The road boundaries of Mulberry House have close boarded vertical timber domestic fencing with an evergreen hedge (laurel) behind. Mulberry House Farm Frontages Due to the corner location of Mulberry House and the L-shape of the former farmyard behind, the road frontages of the proposal are on either side of Mulberry House site. These lane frontages are: 1. The adjacent west frontage is primarily situated amongst fence and hedge lined fields. Mulberry House Farm is screened by a row of set back evergreen trees. Behind these are two large functional farm buildings. 2. The adjacent east frontage, on Wenden Road, is behind the 3 horse chestnut trees on the west verge adjacent to the residential boundary walls and gardens on the west side. The lane front has a low concrete block wall and the side of a large functional farm building. There are fence and hedge lined fields to the east. Heritage Significance As aforementioned, the neighbouring property to the north east is Hobs Aerie, which is a grade II Listed Building. The 18th century Chapman and Andre map and the Ordnance Survey 1877 1:2500 map show this former farmyard and Hobs Aerie as a single farmstead group. Consequently these proposals have been designed by BRD Ltd to consider and respect the significance, character and setting of this neighbouring Listed Building. Hobs Aerie Hobs aerie is set at least twenty metres from its boundaries within a mature well mannered garden. The Wenden Road frontage has a gated corner entrance and east front brick and flint panel wall with mature shrubs and trees behind. The Historic England Listing Designation Statement states that Hobs Aerie has a fine two storey pale buff brick 19th century façade, facing east towards Wenden Road. It has a classical symmetrical composition with three double-hung sash windows with glazing bars at first floor, in plain reveals with stuccoed heads. There is a raised stucco band extending across the front between the storeys. At ground floor there is a central 6-panel door with an ornamental fanlight with a Doric portico with fluted columns. The roof has a low pitch, with a slight overhang, and is clad in slate. The rear west side has an earlier 17th century timber frame and plaster structure, which can be partially glimpsed from the road. Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 3 Historic maps 1777 Chapman & Andre map (*Essex CC) 1881 O.S. 6” map (**National Library of Scotland) The 1777 Chapman and Andre map shows a cluster of buildings, named ‘Hobs hary’, on the west side of the Wenden Road, approximately 100 metres north of the lanes T-junction. The 1881 Ordnance Survey map shows ‘Hobs Aerie’ as a more detailed farm and farmyard in this location. There is an orchard in the south corner of the site (where Mulberry House is sited today). The farmhouse is set back and is shown in a north east to south west orientation. The east access to the farm was where it is today. The farmyard is shown to its south. To the west side of the farmyard, the residual barn with midstrey (C1) is shown (also orientated north east to south west), with a large farm building at right angles to its west (no longer standing). C1’s west midstrey indicates that there was also a farm yard to its west. To the south west of the farmyard there is a line of outbuildings remaining but modified today (S1-S5). There is also a structure in the centre which is a cartlodge, which exists but modified today (C3). The farm access runs from Wenden Road through the farmyard, and continues north west to the north of the pond. Surrounding Photographs View from Wenden Road from south - across fields Mulberry House at Wenden Road junction Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 4 Mulberry House East boundary Roston Road to the east Entrances to the former farmstead and Hobs Aerie Roston Road treed verge and east 20th century barn East Barn North face Wenden Road - North approach Hobs Aerie - glimpse Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 5 Hobs Aerie - glimpse Flint wall - raised View from west – over field glimpse from lane to south Entrance from lane to south Entrance from lane to south South entrance to farmstead west South entrance to Mulberry House garden Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 6 The Existing Farmyard and building layout There is a loop of farmyard circulation through the farmyard site. This track allows connection through the farmyard courts serving the farm outbuildings. The track gives access to and from the fields to the north and west, access from Wenden Road on the Eastern boundary, and access from the lane to the south. Entering from the lane to the south, the South West forecourt is a wide concrete apron to the south west and in front of the sheds W1 and W2. Farmyard Photographs W1 – 20th C farmshed – SW façade W1 – south passage– W2 W2 - 20th C farmshed – SW façade W1 interior – SW end W2 interior – NE end W2 interior – SW end W2 – NE façade W2 - South passage – W1 W1 – NE façade Shed W1 is on the West side of the South track. It is a large late 20th century steel frame farm building of five bays. It has low pitch gables to the north east and south west. The walls have a concrete block lower section with vertical spaced wood slats above and it has a corregated sheet roof. There are large doors in the NE & SW gable walls. Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 7 Shed W2 is on the east side of the South track. It has a similar form and construction to that of W1. W2 is a large late 20th century steel frame farm building of five bays. The walls have a concrete block base, vertical spaced wood slats above those blocks and a corregated sheet roof. There are concrete apron courts to the north of sheds W1 and W2. Where these meet the east boundary, there is a small gate and path into the north west corner of the grounds of Mulberry House. The aprons open out onto the West yard, which borders with a pond and farmland beyond. There is a free standing fuel tank structure near the middle of this yard, south west of W3. The farm track has a Y junction in the West yard. The North farm track leaves to the north west of the site and north of the field pond. The farmyard track turns east through the concreted North Court to the east of W3. West yard & W3 – S façade W3 – S façade West yard & W3 West yard – NE West yard & W1 - N façade North west court, W1 & W3 W3 - SE façade W3 interior - NW end W3 post/rafter joint W3 is a large late 20th century steel frame farm building of five bays. W3’s roof and walls are clad with corrgated sheet. The East farm track gives access to the cluster of south east farmyard courts, buildings and sheds, which border onto Mulberry House’s grounds. To the north side of the track is the boundary wall with Hobs Aerie. The eastern portion of the boundary is a brick and coursed flint wall, with a brick outbuilding nearer W3 at the western end. There are many mature trees behind these structures. Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 8 NW court & N boundary N boundary outbuilding East track C1 west façade C1 Interior – West aisle location central bays west side/central bays East side S1 connection with C1 S1 Interior – South wall S1 – South wall S1, East boundary with Mulberry House & W2 West central court – C1 & C2 South range (S2) North wall South range flint walling Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 9 C2 interior - NW corner S range interior South wall East central courtyard – S range & C2 E2 & E1 W sides, EC court & C3 E side E2, EC court & C3 cart lodge E side C3 interior North end E1 – South West corner E1 North façade & East court East court silo E2 monopitch, C3, C1 & East track E2, C3, C1, W3, East track & North boundary wall Mulberry House- former farmyard N RG Heritage Statement 10 East court & E2 E2, C3, C1, W3, E track, & n boundary wall E track & N boundary wall The East farm track boundary is on the West verge of Wenden Road.