Barn Cottage

Barn Cottage and Field Barn were part of about 10 acres until the 1970s.

Barn Cottage was the original house. The centre portion is believed to have been erected in the 15th century and the northern portion was added in the 16th century. The southern portion at the top of the steps was probably added in the 18th century, when it became a butcher's shop, and remained so until the early 1950s.

The large barn building on the right of the drive used to be thatched until about 1971 when the existing shingles were substituted as roof protection. It comprised the slaughterhouse, starving pen and stables.

The house, now Field Barn, was built to provide stables, trap houses etc with a hay loft over in the 1890s. It was converted into a dwelling house in about 1953. A local resident, Malcolm Hallam, remembers sitting on the shop steps and stuffing sausages in the 1950s!

Incidentally, in the 1950s, after the butcher's shop at Barn Cottage closed, a butcher's shop was established at the site where Haig House, Church Street now stands, just 2 houses down the street from Field Barn. This was called Iddiols & Collins. Reg Collins was the father-in-law of Hazel Day of Twin Pillars.

Construction of Barn Cottage

16th & 17th century timber-framed with wattle and daub infill, a thatched roof, 2-storey, 3 bay 16thcentury building with a 17th-century wing attached to the right bay which projects forward one bay, and 18th century outshot attached to the left. The outshot and left bay have a long timber porch with plain and fish-scale tile roofs. At the inner end of the outshot is a stable-type door. The left bay has a 3-light 19th-century shop window with a small window above the centre light. The centre bay has a large and a small 19th century 2-light casement window. Above are 3 2-light casements with leaded lights or glazing bars. The cross-wing has 3-light 18th-century leaded casements on each floor. The roof has a decorated ridge piece, is hipped over the outshot and is half-hipped on the wing with a stack where the ridges meet and a tiled valley. Inside the left bay and outshot open to the tie beam with parts of a gable wall remaining. The centre bay is floored over, but the base of the centre post of the roof is visible on the tie beam. The stack is from the 17th century with 2 fireplaces. There is a carved chamfer stop to the beam in the lower room of the wing and a queen post above.

Former occupants

1841 Census – Thomas Gale, born 1797 at Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, living with his nephew William also a butcher born 1821 at Botley & niece Ann, born in 1819 at Micheldever.

1851 Census – Thomas Gale, William & Ann, housekeeper

1861 Census – William Gale, butcher employing 1 man, his cousin Ann & cousin Harriet Maffy born in 1841 at Idmiston Wiltshire

1871 Census – William Gale, landowner & butcher, Ann & Francis Maffy, an apprentice, born in 1854 at Idmiston Wiltshire

1881 Census – William Gale, now 60, farmer with his own land of 80 Acres, butcher employing 4 men, 1 boy, with Harriet Maffy as a housekeeper. At the time of this census, Mary Maffy & Harriet Maffy were visiting. Also living there is Emily Clarke, a servant, born in 1867 in Micheldever.

1891 Census – George Pack, born 1814 at Christchurch, Hampshire, aged 77, with his wife, Mary, aged 50, born in 1841 at Blandford, Dorset and Harry Silcock, also a butcher, aged 22, born in 1869 at Battersea.

1901 Census – Joseph Spencer Prole describes himself as a Butcher's manager, aged 39 born in 1862 at Isleworth with his wife Annie, aged 28 born in 1873 at Lyme Regis plus their daughter Beatrice aged 2 and servant Lizzie May aged 13, born in Crowthorne Berkshire.

1911 Census – John Gill describes himself as a purveyor of meat, aged 36, born in 1875 at Southampton. Also living there is his wife Maria born in 1872 at Wilkswood, Dorset. They have been married 6 years and have had 1 child who died. Assisting him is his brother Sidney aged 24 born in London. Also working for him are Fredrick Hillary, William Dutton & William Wabley all boarders in the house.

At an auction sale of the Stratton Estate on 20 September 1920, lot 6, comprising land of 2.7 acres together with the butcher’s shop and other buildings was sold to Walter Cracknell, butcher, for £775. The purchase was partly funded by a mortgage of £500 and was completed on 11 November 1920.

The 1939 Register shows the occupants to be Walter Cracknell, born 1875, with his wife Lilian, born 1879 and daughter Nelly, born 1915.

To learn what happened next, please CLICK HERE, Field Barn.

CLICK HERE for House & Floor plans

Our grateful thanks to James & Anby Dixon for providing the above information.