Brewhouse And Laundry At Bloxham Grove Farm

Brewhouse and Laundry at Bloxham Grove Farm

This is a brewhouse and former laundry dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, with minor 20th-century alterations. The buildings are constructed of coursed marlstone with stone tile roofing and a brick chimney on the right side.

The brewhouse stands approximately ten metres south-west of Bloxham Grove Farmhouse, positioned at the east end of the south range of the courtyard complex. It is a low, two-storey gabled building with a core that may date to the 17th century, though the left gable wall was rebuilt, probably in the 1820s when the farm buildings were improved (evident from the window style). The brewhouse has a broad door with a generous three-light casement to its right. Above are two small rectangular slots, said to be for donkey engine drive shafts, though an alternative suggestion is that these provided steam ventilation. In the small yard between the brewhouse and farmhouse stands a small circular arrangement of stone sets, believed to be a donkey wheel circle.

The adjoining building to the right, known as the laundry, dates probably to the early 19th century, though there is no evidence for such a use. It is constructed of coursed marlstone with a low pitched slate roof on bolted king post trusses. The two buildings are linked only at first-floor level. A door at the left opens to a cross passage running through the building with stairs giving access to the upper floor of both the brewhouse and the laundry. The principal access is via a broad door in the third bay, with a similar door above giving access to the first floor. The ground floor has two small casements, while the first floor is lit by rows of small four- and two-light casements.

The brewhouse interior contains a hearth with a wide bressumer and copper bases on either side. The first floor has a two-bay raised cruck roof with later collars. The laundry interior has been largely gutted, with much of the original floor removed, though it probably contained a later 19th-century inserted floor supported on brick transverse walls.

The Victoria County History suggests that Bloxham Grove may very possibly occupy the site of a lodge conveyed in 1528 with the warren by Edward Fiennes to James Merynge on a repairing lease. Around 1797, George Warriner (I) purchased and united the Old Farm (204 acres) and the New Farm (147 acres), coinciding with the enclosure of the parish's open fields in 1794 and 1802 which created the modern agricultural landscape. His son, George Warriner (II), was an improving farmer whose activities were noted by Arthur Young when he reported on Oxfordshire agriculture in 1809 (published in 1813). Warriner's farming journals from 1806 to 1832 are held in Warwick County Record Office. Evidence of improvement included the purchase of threshing and winnowing machines recorded in an inventory of 1813, along with five ploughs. In 1826, Warriner turned his attention to the existing farm complex at Bloxham Grove, rebuilding and constructing several new buildings including the coach house and barn, and possibly the brewhouse. The Warriners remained here until the late 19th century and owned the farm until 1916. Thereafter, little investment was made in the courtyard buildings, which incidentally ensured their preservation.

The location of the brewhouse close to the farmhouse is typical of such buildings, which often served multiple functions including baking, laundry work, and as a mess-room for farm workers. The two-storey building to the west (not included in this listing) is known today as the laundry, having gained this functional name, erroneously, through association.