Lindham Court Milton Ernest
Lindham Court February 2011
Lindham Court was listed by English Heritage in August 1987 as Grade II, of special interest. It dates from the late 17th or early 18th century, though it has been modernised and extended. It is constructed of coursed limestone rubble and comprises two storeys with a thatched roof and red brick chimney stacks. It was built in an L-shape with the modern extensions at the right hand side and the left hand side at the front.
The building was formerly the farmhouse of Green Farm. In 1883 the tenancy of the farm changed from David J. Davis to William Davis [BMB4/1/9/42]. The farm was sold at auction on 30th October 1915. The sale particulars [Z720/1/17] read as follows:
A Compact Freehold Farm
known as "The Green"
Situate in the village of MILTON ERNEST, with a frontage of some 1100 yards to the Bedford Road, is in the occupation of Mr. H. Ross, on a Yearly tenancy.
The Old Fashioned Farm House
is built of Stone with thatched and tiled roofs and contains Entrance Passage, Dining Room, Living Room, Dairy, Pantry, Kitchen with copper and Sink, Coal Place and 5 Bedrooms;
GARDEN AND ORCHARD
THE COMMODIOUS HOMESTEAD
divided into two parts is built for the most part of Stone and Brick with thatched, iron and tiled roods, and includes Open Shed, excellent Dressing Barn wit hasphalt floor, Loose Box with loft over, Cart-horse Stable for 4, Hen House, 3-bay Open Shed with manger, 2 Loose Places
LARGE COAL BARN
some 23 yards in length, Chaff House, Stable for 6, 2 Loose Boxes, Coach House, Granary, and a deep 2-bay Implement Shed. The Srea, let to Mr. Ross, is
62 acres, 2 roods, 35 poles or thereabouts
The farm comprised 21 acres, 2 roods, 2 poles of grassland and 40 acres, 22 poles of arable. The remainder comprised the house, homestead and orchard. Rent was £55 per annum. Included in the lot was a smallholding occupied by Jesse Woodhams who paid £16 per annum of 6 acres, 3 roods, 11 poles of which 3 acres, 1 rood, 20 poles was arable and 2 acres, 3 roods, 39 poles grass, the remainder being a house, homestead and garden. The particulars are annotated to tell us that the tenant, Ross, bought the farm for £1,775.
The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 states that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. The valuer visiting the property found that it was the farmhouse of Green Farm [DV1/H19/4]. The owner was still H. Ross and the occupier Sydney Rowlett whose rent had been £100 per annum since 1925. The farm comprised 68 acres.
The valuer noted: “Plenty of water. Sometimes wet. Compact. Good Road for type. Buildings sufficient”. Another hand wrote, on 21st February 1927: “Stone Barn with corrugated iron roof. Thatched House. Arable wet on south. Thatched Barn. Rent right”.
The stone and thatch farmhouse (“occupied by Gallis C for Rowlatt at rent 5/- per week”) contained a parlour, a living room, a kitchen, a scullery and a larder with four bedrooms upstairs. Water came from a pump at the rear. The homestead comprised: a large yard; a fowl house; a stone and corrugated iron barn; a timber and tiled stable for six horses; two loose boxes; a brick and tiled trap house and granary; a timber and corrugated iron two bay open shed; a small yard with a timber and corrugated iron lean-to implement shed; a brick and thatched barn; a loose box and a four stall nag stable.
In May 1947 the farm was again for sale by auction, brought onto the market by Ross' executors. The sale particulars [BML10/51/2] describe the house as containing "Sitting Room, Kitchen with range, Scullery with copper and sink, workshop and Coal Store, 2 large and 1 small Bedrooms and 2 Attics". The homestead "conveniently arranged round 2 sheltered Stockyards" comprised: "Bull House with loft over and Large Barn, with timber built and corrugated iron roofed shed at end. Brick built and tiled Tractor Shed and Meal Store, brick and timber built Stable with tiled toof and granite setts floor, with 2 loose boxes adjoining, Stone built and corrugated iron roof Threshing Barn, Stone and timber built open Cattle Shed with corrugated iron roof, Timber and tiled Poultry House, and Timber built 2 bay Implement Shed with corrugated iron roof, in Ord. No. 121".
The schedule noted that of the 68.609 acres 43.356 acres were arable and 24.185 were grass. The remaining 1.068 acres were covered by the house and homestead.