Hatch Farmhouse And Farm Buildings

Hatch Farmhouse and farm buildings form an animal feeding place for Thorndon Park, designed by Samuel Wyatt in 1776. Drawings survive in the County Record Office. The complex is built of red brick, essentially in English bond but with much variation, with slate and pantiled roofs.

The original design comprised a central fodder store of barn form, which was half converted to a house in the 19th century, and on three sides (north, south and east) a yard, around which were single-storey colonnaded feeding ranges with four two-storey corner pavilions and three two-storey central blocks with high arched openings in Roman triumphal arch style. Subsequent adaptation of the units, particularly in the 19th century, has altered various features and a few elements have now gone.

The Central House and Barn

The house and barn are aligned north to south. Originally rectangular, they had two pairs of waggon porches to east and west alternated with three upper lunette openings. The north and south ends had three similar openings and nine long wind-eyes below. The roof was hipped and slated with dentilled eaves.

The west front elevation shows the south half essentially original with a central waggon porch now with waney edged boarding in the gable. The apex is level with the principal roof eaves. A string course defines the base of the upper barn openings. A lean-to with pantiled roof to the south of the porch is also 18th century. The north half of the west front was considerably altered in the 19th century to convert to a house and the porch replaced with a taller two-storey projecting block imitating the style of triumphal entry arches, with a high semicircular headed recess, two window range, all windows sashes with glazing bars, horns and three by four panes, the ground floor deeper than the first floor. A stack rises from the principal roof pitch on the south side. To the south at ground floor is a segment headed triple sash window with glazing bars, horns and one by four, three by four, one by four panes; the first floor sash window is similar to those in the rebuilt block. An adjacent lunette opening is blocked and a 19th-century inserted cross-wall between house and barn directly behind, also a gabled creasing line over the blocked opening implies another projecting unit once added here but now removed. To the north of the 19th-century block, 18th-century walling remains. The lunette opening has a 19th-century three-light first floor casement window; below at ground floor is a contemporary two-light casement window.

The farmhouse and barn rear (east elevation) is similar to the front with similar 19th-century treatment. The south end waggon porch has a 19th-century segment arched head with keystone; to the south is a lunate opening and lean-to; to the north, a blocked lunette and first floor 19th-century sash window. Below at ground floor is a slated lean-to between the porch and 19th-century rebuilding, originally timber-framed (the central post is visible) but now brick, rendered with two three-light casement windows. The 19th-century projecting house block, replacing an earlier waggon porch, is similar to the front elevation except that it has no arched, recessed head, only corner pilasters. A stack rises from the principal roof on the north side.

The north end has a high lunette opening blocked with a slated lean-to below of 18th-century build with a central doorway fitted with a 19th-century door with four bead edged flush panels. The south end elevation retains 18th-century features: three open lunettes, nine wind-eyes below and ground floor lean-tos on east and west sides, the east with a hatch door and the west with a simple doorway and boarded door. The north end elevation was considerably altered in the 19th century. The outer two lunettes have semicircular-headed triple windows with glazing bars and six by two panes; the centre lunette is blocked. At ground floor is a 19th-century doorway with semicircular-headed three-light fanlight and a 19th-century door with upper glazing of three by two panes and a lower moulded panel. To the east is a large segment headed triple sash window similar to one on the front elevation. To the west is a 19th-century segment headed sash window with horns. An out-shut to the east has a 19th-century sash window with glazing bars and three by four panes.

The Outer Ranges

The outer ranges were originally similar to each other with central archways with pedimented and dentilled gables and an open roundel in each spandrel of the access arch. A string course is set at impost level, with two ground floor segment headed window recesses, blind in the lower half and open above. The end pavilions have pyramidal roofs, tall blind round headed recesses and string courses reflecting the central archways. Segment headed openings are set below the string course. The colonnaded feeding stalls consist of seven bays with eight columns of brick with Tuscan stone capitals and bases, pantiled roofs and window shaped blind recesses within an interior wall for mangers.

The east range interior (west face) has had its central entrance-way colonnades replaced by weatherboarded ranges, to the south with three stable doors and to the north with one stable door and three three-light casement windows. The pavilion at the south end is unroofed. On the east range exterior (east face), the central archway is as built. The north range is built forward with a slate roof and weatherboarding with lower rendering, with four two-paned casement windows. The south range is built forward, pantiled and open fronted within with four original columns and feeding recesses. The north pavilion has walling within the arch disturbed and the upper opening cuts the string course. The south pavilion is mostly gone.

The north range interior (south face) has a central block converted to domestic use. The central arch is blocked with a secondary blocked central doorway. At ground floor, the original recesses now have a two-light casement window in the upper half; at first floor the roundels are glazed with two by two panes. A central segment headed three-light casement window touches the arch soffit. In the colonnaded ranges to the east, seven columns are visible with four bays open and the others blocked, one with a 20th-century boarded door and one with a three-light window. The west range is infilled with brickwork with six columns visible, three sliding sash windows each of six by two panes and one two-light casement window of two by two panes, plus two boarded doors. The pavilions are essentially of original form. The one to the west had a doorway above the string course and a glazed segment headed window below. Its west outer face has an upper blocked segment headed window aperture and a ground floor window in the upper half of a segment headed recess.

The north range exterior (north face) has a carriage-way that is blocked. At ground floor is a central segment headed sash window of four by four panes; to the west is a similar window of three by four panes; to the east is a doorway with a segment headed fanlight of three panes and a door with upper glazing of three by three panes and one lower panel. The first floor roundels are glazed with two by two panes and a central segment headed window of four by two panes touches the arch soffit. The colonnaded ranges are partly blocked with brickwork. The east range has six visible columns, a stable half door, a hatch opening with door and two simple casements. The west range has seven columns visible, one open bay, one hatch with boarded door and one four-light casement window with mullion and transom, all casements of two by two panes. The east pavilion has been restored but is essentially of original form with a central doorway now reduced to a hatch. The west pavilion is of original form.

The south range interior (north face) has a central archway converted to domestic use. The entrance-way is blocked with a secondary central blocked doorway on each side and a two-light casement window in the upper half of the original segment headed recess. At first floor, one roundel is blocked and the other replaced by a 20th-century two-light casement window. In between them is a central three-light casement window of six by two panes, touching the arch soffit. The colonnaded range to the east is infilled with weatherboard and brick with four stable doors. The west range is mainly brick infilled with one weatherboarded bay, seven columns visible, two stable doors and one 20th-century boarded door with an adjacent simple window. The east pavilion is now down to a wall. The west pavilion is now missing.

The south range (south face) has a central archway completely rebuilt in the 19th century with a flush front and a ground floor recessed panel. All windows are 20th century. At ground floor is a central segment headed window, a two-light casement with top light to the east, a 20th-century door with upper glazing (radial top) with an adjacent single light side window. To the west is a two-light casement window. At first floor are three similar casement windows with top lights under segment heads. The colonnades are best preserved here. Each has six columns surviving with rear feeding recesses. One bay in each range, adjacent to the house, is bricked in with a simple boarded door. The east end pavilion is in a ruined state and the west pavilion is absent.

Hatch Farm and the granary form a group.