Summary

A cider house dating from the C17.

Description

A cider house dating from the C17.

MATERIALS: the cider house is of timber framed construction with a stone base. The roof is of clay tiles.

PLAN: the building is alighed roughly east - west and is rectangular in plan.

EXTERIOR: the north and south elevations of the cider house consist of twelve panels of square timber framing, which sit upon a high stone base. Due to the topography of the site, the base is higher on the south elevation than the north. The framing is two bays high on the south elevation, with riven lath and daub infill to most of the panels, although some has been lost. Right of the centre, two bays contain timber boarding rather than wattle and daub. At the western end of the elevation, there is evidence of a former structure, lower in height, which abutted the building here and contained the cider press. In the stone base there are two doorways, one roughly central and one at the northern end. These have timber lintels; some stone is missing above both doorways.

The west elevation is four bays wide, also formed of timber framing on the stone plinth with diagonal braces at the apex. The east elevation is formed of five bays, narrower than those on the west, with an opening positioned centrally within the plinth.

The north elevation is similar to the south, albeit lower due to the sloping nature of the site. It has a timber door left of the centre, with two timber boarded openings flanking at eaves level.

INTERIOR: the cider house is of three storeys internally. The lower ground floor, accessed from the south, is a single space with stone walls and timber ceilings formed of the floor structure above. The main ground floor, accessed from the north, is also a single space with a later inserted stair providing access to the attic level. The square panel timber framing with wattle and daub infill mostly survives throughout, as do the floor structures, although some timber appears to have been replaced.

The roof is constructed of principal rafters and tie beams with collar and struts. Some panels have wattle and daub infill and some weatherboarding. Some of the panels and timbers are inscribed with graffiti said to date from the Second World War.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: a stone cider press and wheel lie on the ground adjacent to the southern elevation of the cider house.

History

Covenhope Farm is a complex of farm buildings with farmhouse dating from the C17 and C18, with later alterations and additions. The farmstead stands in a secluded valley west of the parish centre of Aymestrey. The farmhouse, which stands on the southern flank of the farmyard, is understood to retain some timber framing internally and is much altered externally. The farm buildings form a loose courtyard layout and comprise of a C17 threshing barn with attached ranges which date from the C17 and are partially rebuilt. A further C17 barns stands to the west, with a C17 cider house approximately 40m south-west of the farmhouse.

These buildings form a group and are depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map from 1886. At that time the cider house stood within an orchard. A wing which projected from its southern elevation was demolished in the C20.

The farmhouse, eastern courtyard range and western barn are not of special interest, they have undergone considerable alteration and although partially dating from the C17, much of the buildings’ original character has been lost through this and adaptation.

Reasons for Listing

The former cider house at Covenhope Farm is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Degree of survival: the building retains a high proportion of original and historic fabric with remarkably few alterations;
* Historic interest: its use as a cider house contributes to our understanding of regional farming practices;
* Graffiti: the Second World War graffiti evidences an interesting later phase of use.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677599

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)