Courtyard Of Farm Buildings At Lower Hatch Farm

The courtyard of farm buildings at Lower Hatch Farm is a largely 19th-century group, with possible elements from the 18th century or earlier. The buildings are constructed of rubble with slurried slate roofs and some brick dressings. The square courtyard is accessed via a cartway from the road to the west. On the left is a low lean-to structure, raised on concrete block, and on the right is a tall, plain wall with a tall block doorway featuring voussoirs. The throughway is spanned by a steel lintol. The right end of the bank-barn has hipped returns with a plank opening and wide double-plank doors. A 20th-century extension, of no particular interest, partially covers the right end. The lower left end forms a plain wall alongside a throughway or lane, connecting to Lower Hatch Farmhouse. Three ventilating slits are located at the right end, while the left end displays the gable end of the shippons, which are divided by a central spine wall; the eastern half belongs with Higher Hatch Farm. The façade facing the courtyard has four doors with brick segmental heads, one blocked with a casement above the head; a central loading door extends to the eaves. The right, or north, gable wall is noticeably separated from the front wall. Within the courtyard, the west wall features a small square door above the throughway and two doors within segmental stone arches, beneath a pair of loading doors. The returned end of the bank-barn has a higher eaves line and a hipped end, with a plank door and overlight, and a window with an upper sash over a timber ventilator, both set within brick segmental arches. The south-facing return wall has three doors with segmental brick heads, an inserted casement, and a central loft opening, also within a brick arch. The shippon on the east side is characterized by four tall round pillars in rough rubble, with stable doors and concrete block walls with case-ments on the ground floor and corrugated iron sheets above. The north range has a lean-to roof against the outer boundary wall and four doors with segmental stone heads, plus a full-height opening in the corner at the right. The interior of the east shippon range is centrally divided, with ownership split between Lower and Higher Hatch Farms. The bank-barn has a 10-bay scissors roof with a central strut and an original plank upper floor. This courtyard is a significant component of the larger farm group.