Peterson
Homes
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Thanks to Bert Field for help in making this page! Go to the Before & After page for more history
Peterson Homes, the developers of the site started renovating the disused barns at Lidsey farm in July 1999, and this is being written just after our first anniversary at the site in August 2000. Peterson Homes consists of three members of the Peterson family, Reynold Snr., Paul (brother) and Reynold Jnr. (no explanation required). I suppose the long and the short of it is that we love "old"; so, we love barns. The barns real character though comes from the fact that their are six, set in a courtyard, right next door to the old farmhouse and therefore they have been in the thick of it for now what is centuries. From generation to generation they have been used for every task a working farm could throw at them.
As is typical with all old sites there is much to be found once you scratch the surface and in the endless list of bits and pieces there were a few that stood out. Whilst digging trenches through the courtyard (there were many) we came across a number of old stedles, old stone drainage troughs and most interesting of all, two hand carved canal stones. All these items at one time had been discarded and buried in different parts of the courtyard. So recently I had Bert, a local, inspect my findings and even he was a little surprised, but some interesting facts came to light. It turns out that an old oak granary stood in the courtyard in front of New England Barn on stone stedles and measured about 20' x 20' and stood about 15' - 18' in height with a pitched slate roof. Bert's estimations were that in the end it fell down due to neglect in or around 1950. It is unclear where the stone drainage troughs came from but they are probably in some way related to the old stables or cattle shed. The canal stones are identical to stones used to build a wall at the front of Lidsey farm house and would each weigh in at about half a ton. Bert recollects dismantling an old canal bridge that spanned the old disused canal approximately where the present day Lidsey Oil drilling site is located and constructing the farm wall with them. How some came to be buried in the cattle yard is at present a mystery.
While in the process of stripping off the old roof which connects what is now Tithe Barn to The Stables, Paul found some old mortar up under the roof tiles that had been signed when wet. Bert having been a familiar and friendly face around the site since day one of us being they're was called in to see if he knew who a "B.FIELD 1964" was, "That's me" he replied. He and Frank Eggins (then the farm owner) had rebuilt and repaired some of the structure some 36 years prior. Bert still lives on the farm having worked it for 40 years starting when he was 14 years old picking potatoes. Born in 1929 and starting work here in 1942 he stopped his fulltime work on the farm in1982 to remain as a part timer when extra hands were needed. The piece of mortar now almost 36 years old was carefully removed from its perch and given to Bert as a keepsake.
We had noticed that the roof timbers in the two largest barns (now Tithe barn and under the same roof The Cooperage and The Granary) were massively over built for the corrugated tin and asbestos roof they were supporting so again we called over to Bert to see if he could shed some light on it for us. It turned out that when he arrived on the scene these two giants were thatched with straw, this naturally explained the hefty oak structure underneath. The thatch was removed at the same time they carried out the repair work in 1964. The remaining three barns (The Coach House, The Stables and New England Barn) still had most of their original clay peg tiles intact and looking at the build of the roof timbers it seemed that the barns were probably originally built this way. Bert managed to find the only photo he has of any evidence of thatching and it was taken outside Tithe barn with a wedding party next to the barn doors on the south side in approximately 1917. Please click the thumbnail for the full image.
All the barns are now to be finished with old clay tiles. All the originals were carefully removed, stacked and stored away and then used again and if you look today at The Coach House and The Stables they are all back where they belong and probably good for another 200 years yet
Armed with this knowledge we tried to name all of them appropriately:
Below are a few photo's of some of the findings:
Canal stones measuring approx. 4'x3'x1'.
A Stone drainage trough and another souvenir.
A Stone stedle for keeping pests out
A worn stone step now has another job
the old farmyard
It's taken nearly two years of excavating work and a skilled eye to create this page. My aim is to give those interested a look back over some 300 years of history when Lidsey Barns was first put together, circa 1706.
The image above is very large for detail purposes so please be patient, it's worth the wait.
Key : (see image)
1 Formed part of the cattle shed but primarily used for storing the carpenters timber and tools, consisted of a thatched roof under which was an oak frame, the walls were flint on the west side, timber paneled on the north side and timber paneling on top of a stone dwarf wall on the east side.
2 Again formed part of the cattle shed but also largely used for feed storage, consisted of a thatched roof and oak frame under which the walls were timber paneling on a dwarf stone wall on the east and west sides, and stone on the south side.
3 The old kart storage barn with wagons for moving hay, feed and water, consisted of a clay peg tile roof under which stood brick walls on the east and west sides and a stone wall on the north side.
4 The stable block was used for the owners horses and was added to at a later stage making it longer and creating an area for feeding etc. A well existed once at the northwest end of the building. Consisting of a clay peg tile roof and brick walls at the east end, stone walls made up the north, south and west sides.
5 Used primarily again for crop storage, consisting of a thatched roof and oak framework under which there were stone walls on all sides.
6 This barn had been lived in probably since it was built, due to the arrangement of the fireplace, stone flooring and the existence of a well at the southeast corner of the building. The west end of the barn was probably used for shelter for livestock. Consisted of a clay peg tile roof and timber / oak frame under which stood stone walls on all sides excepting the shelter area which was partially covered with timber paneling.
7 This was probably a granary or a building built for storage of a perishable commodity, it sat on stone stedles and was approximately 20'x20, and stood at its peak approximately 15' to 18' high. The last recollection of this barn was with a slate roof but its out of character with others in the area and so I believe it likely to have been clay peg tiles on the roof under which was an oak frame paneled with timber. Some of the stedles were found during the sites excavation and have been retained by us.
8 A hovel ran along the old entrance to the farm, this being where the livestock in the east (front) yard were fed. At the eastern most end there was a store room approximately 10'x10' which was made of stone, the roof which covered both was made of clay peg tiles under which was an oak frame which stood on stone stedles. Some of the stedles were found during the sites excavation and have been retained by us.
9 This was the workshop and at the eastern most end of the building was a store room. Consisting of a clay peg tile roof with an oak frame, walls are stone on all sides.
10 Uncovered during excavation were the foundations for a round building approximately 20' in diameter and made of stone. There is no one at the moment that could recollect ever seeing it. Given it's unique style i would date it with the earliest parts of the farm and therefore draw conclusion that it had a thatched roof on an oak frame. I do not know at this stage what it was used for.
Summary of the site:
While doing my utmost to ensure I do not miss out anything it is possible that I have; and should I have jogged anyone's memory I would be glad to hear from you. Let me say that the man behind the answers to most of my questions is Bert Field, whom without, the artists impression and details of the site could not have been put together. Thank you again Bert. Most of the site of course still remains but certain details can only be rediscovered with a full excavation of the site and due to individual ownership now will never happen again. Some other points of interest.
11 There was a cobbled area running through the courtyard in front of The Coach House (3) which ran all the way over to Lidsey Farm House and was once obviously a second entrance which ran through the barn.
12 A stone wall stood approximately 6'6" high at the front of the barns (in front or east of The Cooperage and The Granary ,1 and 2). The cattle were herded across from Sack Lane and through the iron gates hung on the wall opposite. The old wall fell down over time and was left to overgrow, we have since salvaged the stone rubble and the iron gates and are using the reclaimed stone to rebuild the wall. The gates now hang at the rear entrance to the paddock.
13 In front of The Garden House (6) there was an old feeding or watering area which was probably fed by the nearby well, it has now been filled with shingle and landscaped but never the less its still there if you look. There was also two other smaller feeding areas, one at the end of the stables (4) in the shelter area and one outside The Granary (2) at the southeast end.