Park Farmbuildings And 1 And 2, Park Farm Cottages

BLENHEIM SP41NW 2/21 Park Farmbuildings, and Nos.1 and 2 Park Farm Cottages - II Farmbuildings and cottages. 1768, by Capability Brown; remodelled and buildings to rear and cottages built c.1858. Coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings; gabled concrete tile roofs; Welsh slate roofs to covered yards and hipped corrugated iron roofs to attached central ranges. Courtyard plan. One-storey front range has central 2-storey archway, which has fleuree cross surmounting stone-coped gable with moulded kneelers and keyed semi-circular arch with imposts over plank double doors. Archway flanked by wings each of 3-window range, with keyed flat stone arches over blocked windows and 2-light chamfered stone-mullioned window to left. Segmental stone arches over plank stable doors and hit-and-miss ventilators to looseboxes to rear. Range enclosing right side of courtyard has segmental arches over arcaded shelter sheds, with brick dressings to rear shelter shed, which has roothouse to rear. Range enclosing left side of courtyard has through-entry to rear, and haylofts over similar loosebox range and, facing outer side, 6-bay segmental-arched cartshed range and 2 implement sheds with plank double doors. Shelter sheds with segmental-arched arcades extend from sides to centre of yard dividing it into 4 smaller yards; plank doors to shelter sheds and covered yards to front, supported on brick piers and with iron-trussed roof; 5-bay shelter shed to rear, with timber posts and collar-truss roof. Range enclosing rear of courtyard has central 9-bay barn: ventilation slits, central through-entry and queen-post roof with iron bracing; floor to right of barn has fly wheels connected to 2-storey engine house to rear, with timber lintels over plank double doors and casements. To front and rear of right side of farm are two cottages built in 1858: each of one storey and attic; stone-coped gable end with moulded kneelers has lancet window set above 2-light chamfered stone-mullioned windows; cottage to front has 4-centred arched doorway with sunk spandrels; ridge stacks of stone with brick flues. Capability Brown built the farm as a menagerie for the Fourth Duke of Marlborough. The gateway and flanking wings of the front range survive but have been much remodelled: Brown built this range in Gothick style. (Blenheim Park is included in the HBMC Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade I; Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p474; D. Green, Blenheim Palace: 1951, p198)

Listing NGR: SP4245017026