Stock House 47 Metres South Of The Manor House

FREETHORPE

TG405W THE GREEN 1807- /7/35 (East side) 20/02152 Stock House approx 47 m south of the Manor House (Formerly Listed as: THE GREEN Stockhouse 47m South of Manor Farm)

GV II*

Stock house. Fated R.W. 1828, built for the Walpole family who owned Freethorpe in the 19th century. Brick-built with main body thatched and outshuts tiled. 2-storey central block with sinffic-storey outshuts on either side. Front (west) facade with central double doors under brick arch up to caves height; half-moon central window above with date plaque in gable. Identical cast facade, but double door has been blocked in and replaced by single width door. North and south sides with central long rectangular slatted ventilation windows between eaves and outshut roof line. North outshut much rebuilt, but south original with four doorways, one now blocked, others with stable doors, from stock pens into yard. Doorway at each end of outshut into yards. INTERIOR: The outshuts are aisles the central body of the building and each was linked to it by four archways. Those on the south remain whilst much of the north side has been rebuilt and all but one wide arch blocked, but a much narrower arch survives just inside the front door, perhaps originally leading to a staircase up to the granary. Only half of the granary floor remains and this is no access, but the dividing walls of two bins can be seen from below. The roof and upper gable walls have been plastered (to prevent dust getting into the grain). Roof of 4 morticed collars, strengthened with iron ties, and one row of butt purlins wedged into principle rafters. The central area has a concreted floor, the south outshut has original cobbled floor. Three original stalls with wooden partitions and feeding troughs running between the arches survive at back (cast) end of south aisle; 2 provided standing for 2 beasts each with iron brackets for holding the chain on each post; the end stall would have held one animal; thus there would probably have been stalling for 9-10 beasts down each side. HISTORICAL NOTE: This building is the most complete example of probably not more than half a dozen surviving stock houses of a type described in this area on the marshland fringe, by William Marshall in his Agriculture of Norfolk 1787, vol 2 p.274-5. As such, it is a very rare and historically significant example (within the context of the "agricultural revolution") of purpose-built livestock accommodation. Part of a group with the ham and cart shed (qqv).

Listing NGR: TG4114704986