NHER 10149 (Building record) - Laurel Farm

Late 16th to early 18th century timber framed house.

1975.
In clay floor 13th century cooking pot sherds and 16th century sherds found.
Flint footings of present house rest on this clay floor, which may be the remains of earlier house or a a prepared building platform.
Apparent toft boundary ditches formerly bounded houses along this side of road.

Visited by E. Rose (NAU) 28 September 1978.
Front block is late 18th century brick, rear block is thatched, and could be 16th century, timber framed.
Small thatched barn.

1986. Building Survey.
Examined by Brooke Society.
See short report (S1) for details.
(S1) states that the front block is 'apparently' dated 1852. They refer to a central hearth being excavated under the floor apparently at the same time as the 1975 finds, though there is no reference to this above, and they suggest that the central part of house was once single storey with open hearth, later heightened with a chimney.
However this interpretation rests heavily on the hearth which was not seen by the Society and may be mythical.
E. Rose, (NAU) 15 July 1987.

(S2) assigns to 17th century but says 'original plan unclear'.
Also listed, a 19th century timber framed barn with diagonal wallbracing.
E. Rose, (NLA) 25 November 1998.

May 2001. Building Survey.
Survey of barn alone by Norfolk Historic Buildings Group.
Interprets barn as an early 17th century structure utilising reused timbers.
However, the bracing of the walls as recorded does suggest a much later date; if the infill is indeed clay lump as suggested this would be in the 19th century as Listed.
See report (S3) for further details.
E. Rose (NLA), 17 December 2002.