Late 18th to early 19th century coach house at Old Vicarage, Vicarage Lane (EHER 49233)

A 2019 building survey dated the coach house to about 1800 and identified three periods of alteration.

January 2019. Level 3 building survey. The coach house was built about 1800 and carefully recorded in 1810 as part of the properties of Christ’s Hospital, Christ Bridewell & St Thomas the Apostle. It was built from a collection of reused frames from various buildings. At that time it comprised a stable, wood house, coach & chaise house, hen house, contiguous to each other, of wood and covered with thatch, except the hen house, which is tiled. The buildings are in the orchard adjoining the garden. The stables (main part of the coach house) has been made from a collection of reused frames from various buildings. The first floor frame over the west stable is of the same style as that over the east stable but does not have all the smoke blackened elements. The flooring ‘floats’ in that it is lodged in the end walls and the common joists sit on applied plates nailed well above the mid-rails. The exterior walls are made of reused timbers with some half and quarter poles added. The walls have straight primary bracing with nailed interrupted studwork with weather-boarding and lath and daub panels. The lath is riven and nailed onto the frame, daubed and then plastered. There was a hayloft above with a small hatch door on the south side of the building. There was also a ladder trap to reach it from inside. It is possible there was staircase in the south-east corner where there are two 20th century replacement joists now. What little can be seen of the roof indicated pole rafters for a thatched roof which can be confirmed was still in place by the 1888 terrier revised in 1913. In dating the building there is the evidence of the 1810 Terrier which is so prescriptive it is deemed reliable. It also gives valuable evidence about the form and use of the building. Looking at the map evidence neither Chapman and Andre's 1777 Map of Essex or the 1805 OS show it in place but neither does the 1840 Tithe Map. (This is because the Tithes were being taken on behalf of the Vicar and it was not necessary to closely record his property). The most likely period of construction is about 1800 at the same time as the Parsonage Farm would have been developed. Farming enjoyed an economic boom during the era of the Napoleonic War (1795-1815) due to embargoes placed on grain and timber among other products sourced from France. Essex farms capitalised on the high grain prices and expanded significantly. The shortage of timber led to an industry where buildings were fabricated from recycle timbers pinned together with ironwork and these are seen in the building at the Old Vicarage. The fortunes of the Vicar were directly tied to those of the farm. By the 1840s the concept of Victorian High Farming emerged. The building was maintained in a piecemeal fashion and the wall of the wood house was replaced with a brick and flint panel. These were typical of the Victorian High Farming period and are seen in farms all over East Anglia from this era. The site itself has a very substantial brick and flint pebble perimeter wall. Also typical of the era (1840 onwards) is the circular sawn boards added to the interior. These would have been cut with steam driven saws (quite often on the farms) and used to repair the walls. At the same time the ceilings and parts of the walls were clad with vertical laths and lime plaster. This was used not only as weather-proofing but to prevent grain failing through the hayloft floor. From the Terrier of 1888 we know the use of the building had slightly changed. The outbuildings are a stable, coach house, wood house contiguous to each other and built of wood covered with thatch. There is a garden & also an orchard. The chaise is no longer mentioned and the hen house has gone The building was converted to accommodation in the 1930s by outfitting the hayloft as a comfortable bedroom. The stables were converted to garages. The building remained little changed but was repaired in 1992 when all the roofs were re-laid. <1>