MEM23191 - Pool Farm (Building)

The farmstead is depicted on the Stoke Pero Tithe Map and labelled "Ley Pool". It comprised a farmhouse and barn, which are still extant, though may have been subject to alterations since this time. The site was labelled "Pool Farm" by the time the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map had been surveyed and the two original buildings had been joined by a small outbuilding at SS 8726 4431. This is, again, still extant. The barn is shown with a benchmark on its northern elevation, towards its eastern end. [1-4] The farmstead was visited in January 2014. The house was described as having 17th Century "evidences". The barn is a bank barn, built of stone rubble and set into the hillside with a low pitched hipped roof at a right angle to the house. It featues lean tos at either end. The rear of the bank barn faces the road (north) and features double doors to its threshing floor. [5] Archaeological monitoring and recording was carried out by AC Archaeology during ground works associated with the excavation of electricity cable trenches in the farmyard. The monitored groundworks consisted of the machine excavation of cable trenches, which extended between the farmhouse and two positions along the barn. An additional trench also linked the modern outbuilding. No archaeological features or deposits were exposed by the works and no finds were recovered. The depth of the natural subsoil was exposed at between 0.1 metres and 0.25 metres, corresponding with the terraced nature of the courtyard. [6]