Home Farm, Cartshed

Home Farm Cartshed

This cartshed was built in 1900–01 by architect William Huckvale, commissioned by Lord Rothschild for his son Charles at Ashton Wold. It is constructed of weather-boarded timber frame with a reed thatch roof, recently completely renewed.

The building has a linear plan and is positioned to the east of the main group of farm buildings at Home Farm. It is open fronted on its western side and comprises five bays. The west elevation features an arcade of timber posts with curved braces rising from stone bases. The roof structure is supported on Queen-post trusses and contains no loft.

The cartshed is part of the broader Ashton Estate development, which stretches from the River Nene near Oundle in the west to Ashton Wold in the east. The estate has been occupied since Roman times. In the 18th century it was a well-known sporting estate, planted with avenues of chestnut trees arranged in a cross as rides, and containing several fox coverts. In the early 19th century it was owned by William Walcot and largely farmed by tenants, with Ashton Wold continuing as a sporting ground.

When Charles Rothschild discovered Ashton by accident and was impressed by the rich fauna and flora of Ashton Wold, he persuaded his father to build him a house on the site of the old hunting lodge. In 1900, Lord Rothschild commissioned William Huckvale to design not only the house but an entire complement of estate buildings, including the Home Farm complex, the Steward's house, stables, gardeners' accommodation, a fire engine house, petrol store, kennels (now derelict), and a dog hospital. Most cottages at nearby Ashton were also rebuilt to create a model village. The Rothschilds became the first landowners in the country to provide tenants with both running filtered water and electricity, generated by turbines in an old mill on the River Nene, from which water was pumped to a water tower serving the estate buildings.

The cartshed survives without significant alteration to its materials or structure. The Home Farm ceased functioning as a working unit long ago and is now used mostly for storage. The cartshed forms a group with the other farmbuildings at Home Farm, the Old Dairy, and Cowman's Cottage, all designed by Huckvale as part of the estate development.