Newingreen Farm and farm sign

Newingreen Farm and farm sign

A late 18th or early 19th century steading incorporating a 16th or 17th century farmhouse, arranged in a full courtyard plan. The southern agricultural range has been converted to a separate dwelling known as Stone Court.

The steading is aligned approximately north-east to south-west to respect the road, but cardinal positions are used here for simplicity.

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

The farmhouse appears in part to be timber-framed with rendered elevations. The agricultural buildings are brick. All buildings have Kent peg tile-covered roofs.

PLAN

The steading comprises a regular courtyard layout with agricultural ranges to the north, east and south sides, and the farmhouse forming the west side of the group. A gated entrance into the yard from Stone Street is formed by the space between both ranges.

The farmhouse plan-form is unclear but appears to have an M-shaped roof to the main range, suggesting a double-pile plan, with lower extensions to the south.

The southern former threshing barn and attached ranges, combined as a single dwelling, have modernised interiors and the original internal plan-form is not clear. They form an L-plan with the barn and attached building as the southern arm, attached to the return range parallel to the road. Apart from the threshing barn, whose function is clear from its external features, the historic purpose of the single storey range parallel to Stone Street is uncertain, although a stable is a possibility. Attached to the west of the barn is a single storey building with a long, low roof which could indicate an aisled structure, possibly a storage barn. There have been suggestions that this could be a granary, but the building in its current form suggests this is unlikely.

The ranges to the north and east were probably shelter sheds, animal housing or cart lodges. They appear to be open fronted and not converted.

THE FARMHOUSE

The farmhouse is of two storeys beneath varying hipped roof forms, with a number of brick chimneys. Fenestration is generally modern and includes PVC-u bow windows to the ground floor and casements to the first floor. The central range appears to be an early timber-framed building with exposed close studding, end posts and a midrail to the principal east-facing elevation. The scantling is variable and appears to include additional timber supports anchoring the studs to the midrail; details of the carpentry used are not clear. There is a red brick porch with a brown tiled hipped roof at the centre. A parallel pile is apparent to the rear but the details are unknown. To the south is a lower extension with a hipped dormer, where some timber framing at the east elevation is also exposed, but this is much lighter in scantling and could be applied rather than structural.

THE THRESHING AND STORAGE BARNS

The threshing barn is built of red brick laid in English bond, with tile hanging to the east gable end where the roof is half-hipped. The rear elevation at the first floor is tiled except in the position of the central, rear, full-height doorway which has been blocked by brick. The roof is fully hipped at the west end and has a number of velux windows on both pitches to light a mezzanine presumably inserted when the building was converted. The principal north-facing elevation retains the opposing front full-height doorway, now glazed, with a large modern window to the west, above which is a dormer. The east elevation, fronting the road, has two openings at the ground floor, a window and possibly a former pedestrian door into the barn, partially blocked to form another window. At the first floor is a tall window, which may mark the position of a former taking-in door for hay or grain, but this is far from certain.

Attached to the threshing barn to the west is a smaller barn which is also part of the dwelling and retains much of its external character. The low roof suggests that it may be aisled and its uneven character is indicative of a surviving historic roof structure. The principal north-facing elevation has exposed timber posts which may mark the position of stalls or doorways, partially infilled to create window openings. It is possible that some animal housing was included in this building, but its form suggests that its main function was for storage.

Attached to the east end of the threshing barn, running parallel to the road, is a one bay deep range of red brick laid in English bond. The roof is hipped at the north end, surmounted off-centre by a square-section louvred cupola with a modern weather vane atop its tiled roof. Round-arched entrances with coped pediments above are apparent on both the east and west elevations and may mark a former pedestrian entrance into the yard. The west-facing elevation has two hipped projecting bays to the north of the entrance, currently garages, possibly stabling historically, and two modern windows inserted south of the entrance. The space between the north return of this range and south return of the north range forms the historic and current vehicular entrance into the courtyard.

SHELTER SHEDS TO EAST AND NORTH

Built of red brick laid in English bond, with hipped tiled roofs. The east elevation is blind, with an off-centre square-section louvered cupola with a modern weather vane atop its tiled roof.

INTERIOR

There was no interior inspection of the properties. The information below is gleaned from estate agent's details of 2013 relating to Stone Court, the dwelling formed from the southern agricultural range. In the threshing barn, the position of the former threshing floor between the full-height doorways is now the reception and stair hall. The two barns are interconnecting and several timber-framed partitions appear to remain in situ. There are arched braces to posts and the roof structure comprises substantial tie beams with studs, principal rafters and straight diagonal bracing. It is possible that the purlins have been enclosed. In the smaller barn there appear to be exposed arcade posts and aisle plates in the easternmost room.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES

A large iron sign with scrolled decoration, characteristic in Sussex and Kent, is located on the verge adjacent to Stone Street to the east of the farm complex. The sign once bore the name of the farm, Newingreen Farm, but is badly degraded and the lettering is lost.