Little Wenham Hall, Suffolk

Architect: Roger Balmer Design

Description: The heritage team at HCUK were instructed to work alongside the architects on proposals to convert a series of underused agricultural buildings at Little Wenham Hall in Babergh District, Suffolk. Planning and listed building consent were granted in 2024 with officers acknowledging that any harm had been minimised through the careful design work, a thorough understanding of significance, and the strong benefits offered. HCUK hope to continue involvement as the scheme is built out in discharging conditions.

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Summary

Little Wenham is an exceptionally sensitive site in heritage terms with a rich and ancient history expressed in its collection of historic buildings which make up a small hamlet. The principal building is Little Wenham Castle, a Grade I listed building and Scheduled monument. It is of exceptional interest firstly through its early use of locally made brick, rather than imported bricks, and secondly, because it is one of the early examples of the English manor ‘house’, expressing the origins of the English domestic tradition rather than being a wholly defensive ‘keep’ or castle. Around this 13th century structure, the hamlet also includes the Grade I listed Church of All Saints, a 16th century farmhouse and collection of farm buildings including a substantial ‘tithe’ barn (grade II*). Other houses are limited and the whole group is rural and isolated with only public footpaths and private tracks giving access.

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The farm buildings have long been redundant for traditional agricultural purposes. Their condition was declining and a need to find a viable use to secure their conservation and future survival increasingly urgent. A programme of viability studies in combination with early discussion with both the local authority and Historic England led to a broad acceptance that a new use and new function needed to be found for the redundant farm buildings.

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HCUK were drawn in to provide more detailed understanding of the specific heritage values of the farm buildings, and their settings to inform the most sensitive route to changes to enable new uses. The team also provided a Desk Based Assessment looking at the archaeological potential of the site. Detailed site inspection considered the complex structure of the timber framed buildings and the spaces around them and fed back to the architectural team to refine and draw up proposals which would see the conversion of the farm buildings to a combination of holiday let units, individual domestic dwellings for long rental, and structures to facilitate the management of the holiday units. An important opportunity for increased visitor access to Little Wenham Hall itself was also provided, securing enhanced possibilities for new visitors to experience this important heritage asset. Importantly the proposals sustained a single ownership for the whole group.

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Input on the buildings sought to understand and explain the phasing and evolution of the buildings and where particular features were critical to heritage significance. Understanding the unique characteristics of the buildings enabled the architectural team to place necessary services or new openings, partitions, or access in the most sensitive way, limiting the removal of historic fabric, or change to character. Areas which had been more altered in the past and retained less authenticity or clear evidential values were identified as areas that could accommodate more change. In the main tithe barn, observations and analysis of evidence within the timber frame for early partitions and possible mezzanine levels, directly informed the positioning of new structure within the open space to facilitate the new uses, based on the archaeological evidence for past.  ​