Stables And Attached Wall To South West Of Old Hall Farmhouse

The listing describes an early to mid-17th century stable or oxhouse with associated walls, located to the southwest of Old Hall Farmhouse. Later in the 19th century, yards, stables, and a shelter shed were added to the rear of the wall.

The main stable/oxhouse is constructed of English bond brickwork, with the west wall concrete-rendered. It has a pantile roof, though the steeply pitched stable roof suggests it was originally thatched. The north elevation has a wide central stable door and an open shed on the east end, leading to a yard. The west gable has ventilation holes and a long three-light upper floor window beneath a brick drip mould with stepped corbelling beneath the eaves; a brick string course defines the gable margin, and a finial tops the ridge. The south elevation features a wide stable door at the west end, with a 20th-century lean-to along part of the side wall. The east gable has a drip mould framing a false or blocked upper floor window, possibly decorative and facing the farmhouse.

An attached wall extends north-eastwards, incorporating a late 19th century shelter shed with timber posts set in a bonded brickwork wall, reaching a height of 2 metres and linking with the farmhouse.

Internally, the building was originally fully lofted, although the western part of the loft, along with the walling below, were removed to create yard access. A wooden partition separates this area from the rest of the building. The ground floor has chamfered ceiling beams with mortices, indicating the former presence of partitions. The roof is a four-bay structure with morticed collars, butt purlins, chamfered wind braces, and a ridge beam. The loft space is plastered to control dust.

The stable and wall form part of a high-status manorial building complex which also includes the farmhouse and barn. The property was formerly part of the Bampton Gurdon estate and was sold in 1913. The survival of this group, illustrating the management of a 17th-century estate, is considered uncommon.