Cartlodge With Granary Over At Downs Farm

A cartlodge with a granary above, dating from the mid-18th century, with extensions from the early to mid-19th century and minor 20th-century alterations. The building is timber-framed with brick infill panels, along with areas of chalk, carstone, and brick rubblework, and has a pantile roof.

The cartlodge is arranged as a linear range of eight bays, with the four bays to the left (west) representing the mid-18th century, and separated from the 19th-century section by a staircase. The front (south) elevation features a cartlodge arcade on the left side composed of four massive timber posts, now set on concrete pads and marked with a carpenter's mark. The westernmost post forms the corner of the west gable, which has external carstone and brick steps leading to the granary above. The cartlodge bays to the right feature an arcade of plain squared timber posts. Between the two arcades, a door provides access to a second, 19th-century staircase leading to the contemporary granary above.

Inside the west granary, the floor rests on tie beams notched into the arcade posts. At the west end, curved braces rise from the posts to the front and rear to support the tie beam. A single morticed collar beam remains of the original roof structure. East end post has a nailed knee brace to support its tie beam. Ceiling joists are notched into tie beams, which have two sets of seating notches. A trapdoor is in the centre of the ceiling. In the east granary, the floor is supported by tie beams bolted to arcade posts and straight, morticed braces. The floor joists rest upon, rather than being notched into, the tie beams. The east section of the roof has replacement 19th-century timberwork, including lapped and dovetailed collars, and retains grain bins. The walls in this section are plastered to prevent grain contamination.

This is a large example of a cartlodge with a granary, notable for its timber-framing. Its scale reflects the large farms established on the chalklands of the north Norfolk coast and represents a complete 18th-century arable farmstead.