Houchins Farm (EHER 8644)

The house is surrounded by a subrectangular moat.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Moat (NR). <1> A moat surrounds Houchin's Farm, Coggeshall (the house was built about 1600). <2> Probably to be associated with the family of Johan 'Huchoun' (1370). <3> September 1976. Field survey. Houchins Farm (name confirmed) is an imposing three storey timber-framed house, but has been modernised and is not outstanding. See photograph. The house and adjacent farm buildings are surrounded by a subrectangular wet moat filled by surface drainage. It measures overall 173.0m east-west by 98.0m transversely, with arms which average 5.0m wide by 3.0m deep. The north-east angle has been partly filled by recent tipping. The moat-like features, and adjacent pond, inside the south western angle appear to be ornamental. Original or early entrances cross both the west and east arms, and there is a later cause-way across the north arm. The moat drains from the south east and south west angles. Published 1:2500 survey revised. <4> <5> Copy of OS plan sheet. <6> Field visit. Incomplete, rectangular. Later arm to the west. <7> Sketch plan on back MSRG card. <8> 1996. Excavation. A nine day excavation of the moat by members of the Colchester Archaeological Group produced 19th and 20th century rubbish, but sufficient medieval pottery of an earlier date was found to push back the date of occupation of the site from the 14th century (as suggested by Morant) to at least the 13th century, possibly earlier. The trenches needed continual pumping to prevent them from becoming waterlogged: it is clear that the site has always needed drainage ditches to make it habitable; moreover the site has three artificially raised areas. The moat at Houchins and associated ditches could be seen as no more than a development of drainage ditches, landscaped for romantic and social reasons. <9> See also: <10>