Potterton Grange Farm
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Potterton Grange Farm
Barwicker No. 22
June 1991
The name Potterton (Potter tun) means the settlement of the
potter. Parts of Potterton Grange Farm, which lies on the right
hand side of Potterton Lane just before Morgan Cross, are over five
hundred years old and the site has been inhabited back to Roman
times at least. In a field on the opposite side of Miry Lane was a
medieval village whose foundations and ploughed fields are still
visible. When the Potterton and Kiddal estates were sold in 1917
by the Wilkinson family, the farm was bought by the Dransfields.
In 1959, it was bought from them by the Healey family. At that
time it was a working farm, complete with an impressive set of
farm buildings, wonderfully recreated on pages 30-31 by the late
Bart Hammond. How only the dwelling house remains, no longer
connected with any farming operations. The house is almost
invisible from the lane but a glimpse of it can be seen from part
way down the hill leading from Barwick to Potterton Bridge.
When my husband and I went to live there in 1959, the entrance
from Potterton Lane was through the old oak door A which was set,
not as in the drawing but at an angle, as the existing wall shows.
Farm carts etc. had to go round the buildings and into the
farmyard through the gate at the back. The oak door was painted a
dark red and swung on two long bolts. It fastened by a huge
'sneck' about 18 inches long which was raised with a beautifully
made, twisted iron ring, which was turned to lift the sneck. The
heavy door then swung open on its own and stayed back.
A narrow passage led from the oak door to a newer plank door
and from there a concrete path led into the yard and to the house.
The farm is on a sloping site and rain water ran down into the
sunken yards and out onto Potterton Lane. Building L had stone
walls and a 'thackstone' roof and was probably a fold yard in
earlier times. The front however had been bricked-in at some later
date using small, rose-coloured bricks, very beautiful and dating
back to late Stuart times.
The tall barn N had three bays and, unlike the yards at the
front, was as dry as snuff. The first bay on the left went almost
as far as the double doors, which reached nearly to the roof and
were faced with another pair of similar doors on the other side of
the barn. The second bay had an extension to the front made of
brick columns supporting a pantile roof. This was the wheel-house
and it contained a tractor, one of the oldest I have ever seen,
still with three of its metal 'spade' wheels. One of the back
wheels had been replaced by a big drum and a belt passed around
the drum and into the barn.
This bay was where the three Dransfield brothers made a
variety of iron objects including 'dog-nails' for which they he Id
the patent. These can be seen holding up the guttering of the old
Barw1ck School on Aberford Road. They would buy a ton or so at a
time of scrap metal to forge these nails. When they had an urgent
order, all farm work stopped, even at harvest time, because this
was the most lucrative trade that they had. The third bay went
from the small door to the end of the barn and had been used as a
hay barn, but we used it for keeping pigs, mainly Large Whites and
Landrace crosses.
Building 0 was perhaps the most curious part of all. The
ground floor was a stable with four large 'standings' for draught
horses. The 'tack' room was in the corner and the Dransfields had
left the harness and cleaning tackle there. Between the second and
third standings was a space where there was a spiral staircase
with 'flying' steps. Each step was made of very thick thackstone
and they supported each other only at one end, at the centre of the
spiral - a marvel of engineering. I have seen only one other like
it, at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire.
The spiral staircase went through the ceiling into the room
above which was the old pigeon loft. All four walls were divided
into six tiers of nest boxes, each a 12 inch cube. The staircase
went up through the ceiling into a second storey of the pigeon
loft, the walls of which were divided into four tiers of similar
nest boxes. Through the 18 inch thick walls of the loft were slits
to allow the birds to go in and out. The floors were covered in a
thick layer of pigeon droppings but when this was scraped off we
found beautiful elm planking, each board being 18 inches to two
feet wide.
The pigeon loft makes me think that Potterton Grange Farm was
once the home farm of Potterton Hall as these were the preserve of
the lord of the manor or other prominent landowners. Pigeons
provided the only fresh meat in winter when the surplus animals
had been slaughtered as there was not enough food for them.
The granary P was entered by an outside stone staircase. This
had been used for the drying of corn and was made of elm planks
which shone like a dance floor. This had been produced by pushing
the drying corn around with elm shovels, two of which had been
left behind. Each spade was made from a single piece of wood and
their backs were beautifully polished by the same process. The
granary was supported (see View from B) by three thackstone
columns, each about 2 feet round. These held up a strong
thackstone lintel which supported the upper floor. Ye used the
space below for tractors and carts.
The pig cote a, with its sloping roof and two separate pens,
opened onto the yard but on the garden side were two slots which
were used to feed the pigs with kitchen waste from the garden
side. Behind each slot was a sloping thackstone flag which carried
the food back and then a vertical flagstone guided the food down
into the trough underneath. The wall divided the garden from the
yard which was about three feet lower. It ran between the two
stone troughs s.
When we first went to the farm, there was no sign of the old
wall at the back of the garden but later, when I began to dig to
make a flower border, I uncovered the wall, which like the others
was about 18 inches wide, stone-faced with a rubble filling. The
house had been completely surrounded by walls and buildings which
sheltered it from the weather, making it very warm.
R was a decorative well-head above a spring and the water
could always be heard running even in the driest summer, although
it was no longer used as a water supply. There was a pump below
which in the past had been primed by moving a stone flag and
going dawn by a ladder. I once pulled up some of the water using
a bucket and string and it was beautiful.
In the back wall of the barn T were three low holes which had
been blocked of! from the closed space behind. We were very
curious what they had been used for until the whipper-in of the
Bramham Hunt told us they had been pens far fox-hounds. These,
with the paved yard in front, could have housed about 15 couple of
hounds.
The front of the barn T was entered by a split door and we
used it to house from 20-25 day-old calves. It was one of our
jobs to look after them. We think the Dransfields used it for
their house cow as they had left old milking tackle behind. The
next window U had originally been a door and the bottom step under
it was still there. Inside under the window was a huge stone sink
and, set pot and I decided to use the room as a wash house. When
the stone sink was lifted out we found three steps coming up from
the outside. We think that the Dransfields had driven the new door
through the two foot thick wall and there were three steps up from
the door within the thickness of the wall. The path along the
front of the house was concrete as far as the door, but then it
changed to flagstones grooved across, perhaps to carry the water
through the wall away from the house.
The back of this part had once had two doors but one of these
had been stopped up with old bricks. In the wash-house there was
a fairly new set of wooden steps leading upstairs. It was
suggested to me by Mr Philip Hayes, the archeologist, that this
part had originally been the passage between the living quarters
and the part for the animals, all under the same roof, but in fact
the barn roof was higher than the house roof. The wooden steps
led to the space above the barn T and this had been used as the
bacon chamber with huge hooks (probably made by the Dransfield)
driven into the beams. There were also hooks in the kitchen
ceiling so that same bacon or ham could have been hung up to be
carved off when wanted.
V was the alder part of the house with walls 18 inches to two
feet thick. The kitchen was 29 feet by 15 feet w1 th a stone-
flagged floor, which on first sight caused my heart to sink to my
feet when I thought of the scrubbing, but thankfully we put some
carpet dawn. Under the floor was a drain from outside which ran
through the fold-yards out onto Potterton Lane. There had been two
old settles in the kitchen but these had been got rid of as they
were rotten. In this kitchen we had a square table with four
chairs, a three piece suite and a huge oval table. We have had 20
people sitting at table there.
The ceiling was supported by three huge beams, two showing
adze marks. One must have been broken at some time and had been
mended by overlapping the two ends and fastening them together
with a long plate held by two huge bolts about 18 inches long and
two inches thick. There was a stone sink, bevelled by much
scouring, and cold water from a pump. This was removed and
replaced with a stainless steel sink. There were three Yorkshire
sash windows but they had to be removed as the frames were rotten.
There had been a huge fireplace with two inglenooks, which could be
walked into. Into this a Yorkist Major range had been fitted,
which had two ovens on top and one the side. This heated all the
water for the house and it made lovely bread. The back door
opened onto a flagged quadrangle with two steps up through the
wall into the garden. Although this was sheltered by the buildings
it was marvellous for drying clothes.
A door led from the older part V into the hall of the
relatively newer part w, which was stone-built with a slate roof.
The hall was stone-flagged and when this was taken up to put in
wooden floors, a drain was found underneath. Where it led to we do
not know, perhaps it just soaked away. Across from the door from
the kitchen was the first of two pantries, which had obviously been
dairies at one time as they had stone-flagged floors and stone
tables round three sides. A further door led to what my husband
said had been a killing room for slaughtering pigs. It had a stone
table with runnels for the blood. From this a door led into a
small room with a settle and an old-fashioned range in the space
where another door had been. We think that at one time this had
been the servants' kitchen.
Also opening from the hall were the dining room and the
lounge, both about 15 feet square. The dining room was flagged but
the lounge floor was of wide elm boards. In the lounge was a large
fireplace with four fluted columns going up to a mantelpiece with a
large mirror set-in above it. It appeared to be made of wood, oak-
grained, but when I was cleaning it, I accidentally knocked off
part of the surface of the base and found it was white underneath.
I carefully scraped away the surface where it could not be seen and
found that the fireplace was in fact made of white marble with a
lovely golden streak. It had been painted' over. I spent a long
time carefully removing the paint and when it was finished it was
a picture. The tiles of the fire-surround were covered with
brightly-coloured painted butterflies. In the living room, the
fireplace had a red Delft tile surround. scouring, and cold water from a pump. This was removed and
replaced with a stainless steel sink. There were three Yorkshire
sash windows but they had to be removed as the frames were rotten.
There had been a huge fireplace with two inglenooks, which could be
walked into. Into this a Yorkist Major range had been fitted,
which had two ovens on top and one the side. This heated all the
water for the house and it made lovely bread. The back door
opened onto a flagged quadrangle with two steps up through the
wall into the garden. Although this was sheltered by the buildings
it was marvellous for drying clothes.
A door led from the older part V into the hall of the
relatively newer part w, which was stone-built with a slate roof.
The hall was stone-flagged and when this was taken up to put in
wooden floors, a drain was found underneath. Where it led to we do
not know, perhaps it just soaked away. Across from the door from
the kitchen was the first of two pantries, which had obviously been
dairies at one time as they had stone-flagged floors and stone
tables round three sides. A further door led to what my husband
said had been a killing room for slaughtering pigs. It had a stone
table with runnels for the blood. From this a door led into a
small room with a settle and an old-fashioned range in the space
where another door had been. We think that at one time this had
been the servants' kitchen.
Also opening from the hall were the dining room and the
lounge, both about 15 feet square. The dining room was flagged but
the lounge floor was of wide elm boards. In the lounge was a large
fireplace with four fluted columns going up to a mantelpiece with a
large mirror set-in above it. It appeared to be made of wood, oak-
grained, but when I was cleaning it, I accidentally knocked off
part of the surface of the base and found it was white underneath.
I carefully scraped away the surface where it could not be seen and
found that the fireplace was in fact made of white marble with a
lovely golden streak. It had been painted' over. I spent a long
time carefully removing the paint and when it was finished it was
a picture. The tiles of the fire-surround were covered with
brightly-coloured painted butterflies. In the living room, the
fireplace had a red Delft tile surround.
Steps up from the kitchen led to a landing and a bedroom over
the kitchen and a second bedroom separated from the first by a
flimsy division. From the landing a step led up to another landing
which continued to the front of the house but it had been partly
blocked off to make a very narrow room. Leading from the second
landing were the two bedrooms of the newer part of the house W.
Both bedrooms had cast-iron arched grates and suffered badly from
damp, quite different from the older part V. The bathroom was over
the first pantry.
Opening from the lounge and dining room were two French
scouring, and cold water from a pump. This was removed and
replaced with a stainless steel sink. There were three Yorkshire
sash windows but they had to be removed as the frames were rotten.
There had been a huge fireplace with two inglenooks, which could be
walked into. Into this a Yorkist Major range had been fitted,
which had two ovens on top and one the side. This heated all the
water for the house and it made lovely bread. The back door
opened onto a flagged quadrangle with two steps up through the
wall into the garden. Although this was sheltered by the buildings
it was marvellous for drying clothes.
A door led from the older part V into the hall of the
relatively newer part w, which was stone-built with a slate roof.
The hall was stone-flagged and when this was taken up to put in
wooden floors, a drain was found underneath. Where it led to we do
not know, perhaps it just soaked away. Across from the door from
the kitchen was the first of two pantries, which had obviously been
dairies at one time as they had stone-flagged floors and stone
tables round three sides. A further door led to what my husband
said had been a killing room for slaughtering pigs. It had a stone
table with runnels for the blood. From this a door led into a
small room with a settle and an old-fashioned range in the space
where another door had been. We think that at one time this had
been the servants' kitchen.
Also opening from the hall were the dining room and the
lounge, both about 15 feet square. The dining room was flagged but
the lounge floor was of wide elm boards. In the lounge was a large
fireplace with four fluted columns going up to a mantelpiece with a
large mirror set-in above it. It appeared to be made of wood, oak-
grained, but when I was cleaning it, I accidentally knocked off
part of the surface of the base and found it was white underneath.
I carefully scraped away the surface where it could not be seen and
found that the fireplace was in fact made of white marble with a
lovely golden streak. It had been painted' over. I spent a long
time carefully removing the paint and when it was finished it was
a picture. The tiles of the fire-surround were covered with
brightly-coloured painted butterflies. In the living room, the
fireplace had a red Delft tile surround.
Steps up from the kitchen led to a landing and a bedroom over
the kitchen and a second bedroom separated from the first by a
flimsy division. From the landing a step led up to another landing
which continued to the front of the house but it had been partly
blocked off to make a very narrow room. Leading from the second
landing were the two bedrooms of the newer part of the house W.
Both bedrooms had cast-iron arched grates and suffered badly from
damp, quite different from the older part V. The bathroom was over
the first pantry.
Opening from the lounge and dining room were two French
windows, very tall and diamond shaped. These must have been
fairly recent as the base was made of concrete. The porch had a
pantile roof and the lower part was made of wood and the upper
part of glass, with shelves around which made it a marvellous
place for growing plants. My gardening activities led to the most
important historical discovery of all - the medieval pottery x ,
which will be described in another article.
The long building running along. Potterton Lane had a tack room
I and a loose box H at the 'passage' end. This was the lowest part
of the farm and there were same sunken yards G, F and E in front.
The silt washed down by the rain formed a fine dust in summer and
thick evil-smelling mud in winter. It was about a yard and a half
thick. When we tried to drive in a tractor to clear the yards, 1 t
sank up to its axles and had to be hauled out by three other
tractors. Finally, we got an earth mover to dig out the mud from
yard G and found that it was cobbled, with a drain, blocked by the
mud. The sunken yards had been used for pig or calf pens.
I always felt that Potterton Grange was and had been a very
welcoming and happy home. It was protected from the weather by
the buildings around it but all this was changed by a disastrous
fire in about 1964. This started in the first bay of the barn and
it destroyed all the buildings on the north side of the farm and
we nearly lost the pigs there. We think a tramp had been sleeping
there and had been smoking. The house became very cold as it was
no longer shielded from the weather and we moved to Park House
Farm cottages in 1973.
Sadie Healey
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