East Farm, now Russell House

Complex of farm buildings to the south of St Matthew's Church in the village of Newbottle. Two barns within the complex are listed grade II. The range of buildings are predominently nineteenth century structures extending southwards from the earliest elements of the farmstead fronting on to the principal street of the medieval village. The earliest cartographic evidence - from 1822 - suggests only a linear development along the street frontage which, by the time of the tythe plan of c.1840 has developed into a series of buildings surrounding a courtyard. It is clear from the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of c.1858 that the farm was considerably extended in the second half of the nineteenth century. The area to the south of the early courtyard was brought within the building complex, perhaps initially by the construction of single storey ranges on a north-south axis to create south facing foldyards. The principal structure became the east-west central range, formed of two separate buildings with differing roof heights, which contained both the threshing barn at its eastern end and an open arcaded series of arches entrances to the south elevation at its western end with a hay loft above. The power for the thresher was supplied from an engine house on the north side of the building. The arrangement to the south of the central range was again altered later in the nineteenth century when the west wall of what had been a single storey range extending to the south was lowered, the roof removed and the foldyard covered over thereby enclosing the arched arcade and the foldyard itself. The earlier brick boundary wall was heightened to carry the roof and form the west elevation of this barn arrangement. The roof was formed of two pitches, the central valley supported by brick columns within the former foldyard. The roof was constructed of pantiles and the south gable constructed in stone work with two decorative gothic arched openings. The listing of the two barns to the south of the farmstead has been carried out on the apparently mistaken assumption that these were part of the eighteenth century farmstead rather than a late nineteenth century addition to the site. LISTED GRADE 2