Late 18th to 19th century farm complex at Mudwall Farm (EHER 48241)

In 2013, a building recording documented the late 18th to 19th century U-shaped farm complex.

2013. Building survey. Although the 14th to 15th century date of the farmhouse at Mudwall Farm implies a continuity of farming, this is not supported by the age of the farm buildings themselves. Map evidence and construction techniques suggest a date range for the earliest structure, the barn, of 1777-1840, with a second phase, the construction of the stable block, within the same date range. This suggests that earlier farm buildings were replaced at the end of the 18th century, a concept explained by the increase in agricultural productivity brought about by the huge population rise from 1750 onwards and the higher grain prices obtained during the Napoleonic Wars. It is by design, not coincidence, that the first phases of the redevelopment of Mudwall Farm included a threshing barn and housing for the animal that made possible the large-scale production of cereal crops. The stable block reflects the importance of the horse from the 17th-century onwards. Before this, oxen provided the power on farms but by the end of the 18th century they had been nearly universally replaced by the horse. The cow house dating to 1840-1875 is quite small and, with the calves’ pounds, may only have housed a small number of cows. These probably served the farm with a small additional income from milk and dairy products, although the main business of Mudwall Farm during this period was derived from cereal crops. The fixed ladder leading to the loft above the calves’ pounds is a latter addition and must date to when the roof pitch was raised. The chaise house was probably added only a few years after the cow house and probably reflects the affluence of the farm at the time. If the description of it as a chaise house rather than a cart lodge is accurate, rather than an estate agent’s hyperbole, it indicates enough surplus wealth to purchase a pleasure carriage in addition to the working wagons of the farm. <1>