SDO13954 - Court Farm, Church Street, Yetminster, Dorset. An Historic Building Evaluation

Context One Archaeological Services Ltd (COAS) carried out a programme of historic building recording and limited archaeological monitoring and recording at Cross Farm, Church Street, Yetminster, Sherborne, Dorset on 7 November 2013. The project was commissioned and funded by Mr Cathal McCosker. The work was required in mitigation of a development proposal to convert and extend former agricultural buildings on the Site to form a dwelling and erect a garage. It was determined that a reasonable archaeological response would be to carry out a new photographic survey of the existing building to supplement an historic building survey carried out by Greenslade Taylor Hunt (October 2011) accompanied by investigation around the former water pump/well. The request for archaeological work follows advice given by Central Government as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG 2012). The historic building survey conformed to a Level 2 survey as set out in Understanding Historic Buildings – a guide to good recording practice (English Heritage, 2006). Although the buildings have undergone some degradation since 2011, the buildings were more accessible during the present survey as a result of recent clearance work. The survey has revealed that the early 19th century farmyard was bounded to the west by a large open-sided barn with a first floor, possibly present by 1809, and to the north by a similar barn which was certainly present by 1840. By 1888 the northern side of the farmyard was occupied by a large barn which appears to have incorporated part of the earlier structure and encompassed the northern end of the earliest barn. The southern side of the farmyard was completed by the addition of a large threshing barn. The late 19th century farmyard on the western side of the earliest barn was formed by the addition of a small pig sty or sheep pen to the north and a curved open-sided cattle shed or sheep pen to the west. All five of the historic buildings have undergone alterations with the blocking or alteration of original openings. The complex continued to expand during the 20th century with the addition (and sometimes the removal) of ancillary structures, a large open-sided shelter and a small brick-built structure.