Early to mid 19th century timber framed stable at Hoe Mill Barns (EHER 40856)

A timber framed stable range on a brick plinth which forms the northern arm of a farmyard at Hoe Mill Barns and lies behind the road frontage. The roof is covered with modern felt. It consists of three stalls for working horses and a northern aisle which might have house ponies. It was probably built in the 1830s-1840s.

October 2007. Heritage assessment. A timber framed stable range on a brick plinth. It is a six-bay linear stable and it lies behind the road frontage, facing onto the yards. The north side is partly aisled with a small porch set roughly central. The roof has been re-laid and felted in the modern period and pegtiles have been removed from the north side. The internal floor surfaces consist of cobbles or bricks. Working horses were kept in three open stalls and perhaps ponies in the northern aisle. The exterior has long ventilation panels under the eaves and hatches indicative of animal usage. Troughs, hay feeders and saddle racks are fitted throughout the interior and appear to be original fittings. Half-heck ledged, braced and battened stable doors are located on the south elevation, facing onto the yards, one for each of the three stalls. Investigations concluded that the barn, granary (see EHER 81964), stables, shelter shed (EHER 81966) and chicken coop (EHER 81965) were built in around the 1830s-1840s, along with three other largely unidentified structures, around a single square yard. A farmhouse (EHER 81967) and hackney stable (EHER 81968) were also built on high ground to the south, but were not subject to the recording condition. During the latter part of the 19th century the farm concentrated more on cattle rearing and the shelter shed was refurbished (perhaps with cart bays included), a large cowhouse built and a new cowshed constructed against the barn. The main yard was subdivided into four separate yards. The farm is a rare, well-preserved example of a planned timber-built Essex farmstead, dating from the beginning of the Victorian Golden Age of Agriculture and has an important place in the history of East Anglian farming. <1>