Old Houses and Farms in Ashingdon

OLD BUILDINGS

Fine old buildings in Ashingdon include : Ashingdon Minster known as Saint Andrew’s Church built in 1020; Ashingdon Hall in the heart of the village is a mediaeval manor house built of red bricks over sturdy timber frames; In The Chase - Rouncefall is a mediaeval farmhouse and there are several other fine old houses along The Chase and Red Lane, another old name for a branch of The Chase; Along the road to Fambridge there are - Rectory Farm House a fine old manor house, All Saints Church built in 1846, South Fambridge Hall an ancient formerly moated hall, Brickhouse Farm, The mediaeval Old Ferry House, The Coach House, a row of charming Victorian cottages and two rows of cottages of fascinating earlier design in South Fambridge. The old Anchor Inn was demolished for flats in 2004; In Lower Road - New Hall is an ancient house, Linden Lea, Beckney Wood House and several other fine houses are located there; The ancient Beckney Farm and Uguess are in a lane off Lower Road; Brooks Cottages, Old Farm House, Smithey’s Cottage and The Forge are all found along Greensward Lane; Also in Greensward Lane are the ruins of a beautiful mediaeval thatched cottage which was destroyed by fire about 1995 and two other houses which all stand on long, narrow strips of roadside verges, often called ribbon development; Up on the hills above Greensward Lane and Trinity Wood Lane there are some fine houses in the highest part of the parish, namely Mount View, Highfield and Homefield Farm; In Canewdon Road - Moon’s Cottages is a row of mediaeval cottages but now one house and several other fine cottages including Moons Farm are there; In Hyde Wood Lane, there is the mediaeval Hydewood Farm and several other fine old houses there. Local people call it “Hydie” Wood Lane, pronouncing the final “e” in Hyde.

FARMS

Some of the farms in Ashingdon still work as farms and some have lost their function as a working farm and only the name remains. The present farms of Ashingdon are :  Beckney Farm, Brenham Farm, Brickhouse Farm, Harrogate Farm, Homefield Farm, Hydewood Farm, Lowlands Farm, Moons Farm, New Hall Farm, Pulpits Farm, Rectory Farm, Rouncefall Farm, South Fambridge Hall Farm and Greenacres Farm.

Some farmers in neighbouring parishes farm in Ashingdon Parish or own fields here, they include Little Doggetts Farm in Hyde Wood Lane and others. Beckney Farm or manor and Fambridge Manor, now South Fambridge Hall were mentioned in The Domesday Book, dated 1086.

HISTORIC FARMS

Since before the days of King Edmund, King Canute and King William with his Domesday Book Survey, there have been ancient manors with farms in Ashingdon Parish.

The early historic Viking and Norman Era manor farms included :  Beckney Farm (Bacheneia/Bekeney), Chamberlains Farm (Chambirlanys), Moons Farm (Mones/Monys), Pulpits Farm (Pokepet/Pukpet), Rouncefall Farm (Runceval), Snares Farm (Snarry), South Fambridge Farm (Phenbruge).

Mediaeval Era Farms, some of which have disappeared, or are no longer farms are :  Ashingdon Hall, Cattlyn's Farm, Harrogate Farm, Hydewood Farm, Jolly's Farm, New Hall Farm.