Listed Building record MDO27075 - Manor Farmhouse, Ashmore

House of uncertain origin, although its external appearance suggests that it is largely late 18th century in date. The building has walls of ashlar and coursed, squared rubble, and a tiled, gable-ended roof with stone coping. Some of the walls in the south-west part of the house are up to four feet thick; this could suggest a medieval origin for this part of the building, but may be the result of adding a stone facing to an existing rubble or cob wall. An addition at the north-west end of the house was built around 1800 and used as a Wesleyan meeting room (see MDO3527).

(ST 91051778) Manor Farm formerly (NAT) Manor House (NR). <2>

The manor house stood about 200 yards to the west of the church. A few traces of it still remain. <1>

A large farmstead; the ancient Manor House dates from the 15th century, and such a date seems unlikely. <3>

ST 91051779 Manor Farm, a two storied house with walls of ashlar and squared rubble and tile covered roofs. The walls of the south west range are up to 4 feet thick and might be Medieval. Some of the rooms in this range have chamfered beams, probably of the 17th century. <5>

Manor Farm (name confirmed); the farmhouse remains in a good state of repair; it is not outstanding. <6>

16/6 II Manor Farmhouse

House ashlar and tiled. S.E. gable has moulded stone copings. 2s. Wing at rear has rubble and flint walling. Sashes and casements. Symmetrical elevation. ? C. 16 and later.

16/64 II Barn at Manor Farm

Rubble and flint. Probably C. 17. Grade II group value. <7>

[Note: See the separate record for the Barn: MDO3529]

<1> Hutchins, J, 1868, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 3. 3rd edition, 369-70 (Monograph). SDO11486.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 25 inch scale map, 1928 (Map). SDO18020.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1928, Ordnance Survey Object Name Book reference revision 1928, Rev. O.N.B. 1928, 6 (Unpublished document). SWX1205.

<4> DOE (HHR), Oct 1951, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Shaftesbury RD, 1 (Scheduling record). SDO17584.

<5> Edwards, D W, Field Investigator's Comments DE, F1 DE 17-JAN-56 (Unpublished document). SDO18341.

<6> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 2 (Monograph). SDO99.

(4) MANOR FARM (91051779), house, of two storeys with attics, has walls of ashlar and of squared rubble, and tile-covered roofs. The S.W. range is of uncertain date; the walls are up to 4 ft. in thickness and might be medieval, but there is no other feature to confirm this assessment; the unusual thickness of masonry could be the result of refacing a rubble or cob structure with ashlar. The demolition of Eastbury, c. 1782, must have made worked stone readily available locally. The S.W. front is two-storeyed and of four bays, with plain sashed windows and with a square-headed doorway; first-floor level is marked by a weathered string-course. The gabled S.E. elevation has a similar string-course and, at the base of the gable, an ornamental corbel-table similar to that of the archway in the stable court at Eastbury (Plate 80). Projecting N.E. at the N.W. end of the range is an addition of c. 1800, originally built as a Wesleyan meeting room (F. Lyle Uppleby, Ashmore (1949), 8). Some rooms in the S.W. range have chamfered beams, probably of the 17th century.

<7> Barrett, G, Various, Field Investigators Comments GB, F2 GB 20-DEC-77 (Unpublished document). SDO17369.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209931 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 3 2023 3:39PM