MEM15388 - West Hollowcombe Farm (Building)

A single building is shown on the Hawkridge Tithe Map at c. SS 8586 3050, coloured pink and presumably in domestic use. It is set in a small enclosure, labelled "56". This was noted on the georectified copy of the Tithe Map, which may have been inaccurately georeferenced due to a lack of known reference points between this map and later surveys. [1] The 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map shows the farmstead has been expanded to show a group of buildings around a farmyard with a pond framing its eastern side. A building shown at approximately SS 8587 3050 may be the building depicted on the Tithe Map, which (if so) would presumbly have served as the farmhouse. It has a semi circular enclosure to the south of the building, which appears to have been a garden, with a small outhouse on its eastern side. Two other buildings, a larger range orientated east to west on the northern side of the yard and a smaller building to the west of the farmhouse at c. SS 8584 3051 are also depicted. A further small building at c. SS 8589 3050 had been added by the time the 2nd Edition map was published. [2-3] Aerial photographs of the site taken by the Royal Air Force in 1946-8 show that the 'farmhouse' and its small outhouse had been removed by this time, although the enclosure for the garden is still extant. A new farmhouse had been built to the west of the site, away from the farm buildings at SS 8582 3050 and this is also still extant. The small building shown on the 2nd Edition map was removed from the site after this time. [4-5] The site was viewed from a distance in January 1997. The farmhouse was described as large, suburban and inter war in date. The yard was said to be small, with some rubble buildings, with a more distant range of diminishing buildings running down the ridge and now converted. Some 20th Century buildings were also noted to be on the site, including accommodation for horses. [6]