Blogs Heritage and Archaeology

The Lodge was built around 1874 to the designs of Arthur Vernon, a local Buckinghamshire architect. Historic England decided to list the building at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

• as a well-designed and well-crafted example of an eye-catching entrance lodge;
• for its varied composition and the quality of materials and detailing;
• for the survival of the attached porch including an integrated gate pier denoting the building’s historic association with Rayners House.

Group value:

with the Grade II-listed Rayners House and ancillary listed estate buildings, for which the Lodge was originally constructed.

The barn at Well farm has a construction date of around the 18th century and is listed at Grade II the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

• it retains a significant proportion of the original construction, including several jowled posts and the raked queen-post roof trusses, as well as good evidence for the wall frame;
• it illustrates well historic regional building traditions including evidence for timber-framing and brickwork.

Home Barn was erected in the C17 or C18 and was listed alongside the granary (below) recognising their relationship with one another. Home Barn is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Degree of architectural interest:

• the barn retains a considerable amount of early fabric, despite later modifications.

Degree of historic interest:

• it is a good and characteristic example of a historic threshing barn, with evidence of later adaptation for changes in farming practices.
• the survival of historic fabric and plan form further contributes to the legibility of the building's historic function.

Group value:

• it has a strong historic functional relationship with the adjacent granary (Grade II)

Built alongside Home Barn (above) the Granary is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

• as a good, well-preserved example of a mid-C18 staddle-stone granary;
• it retains a significant proportion of historic fabric including raised timber frame, hipped roof, a full set of staddle stones at the base as well as the more uncommon survival of subdivided internal grain bins.

Historic interest:

• as a characteristic example of a granary dating to an important period of farm building development in England.

Group value:

• it has a strong historic functional relationship with the adjacent barn at Wilton Farm (Grade II).

The remains of the Roman settlement at Fleet Marston, on the route of Akeman Street just west of Aylesbury, have been known about for many years, but it was not until the western edge of the town was excavated in advance of the construction of HS2 that the true state of its significance could be appreciated. Read about the archaeological works at Fleet Marston on our earlier blog post.

Historic England decided that that what remains of the Roman town should be afforded Scheduled Monument status for the following principle reasons;

• Period: the remains include evidence of activity from the early Roman period, with the initial construction of Akeman Street, as well as later modifications in the mid-late Roman period, in association with the establishment of the roadside settlement, all of which are strongly representative of the period;
• Survival: although partially under plough, the below-ground remains of the core of this roadside settlement survive well as shown in recent geophysical surveys and excavations;
• Documentation: the recent archaeological work provides good evidence for the national importance of the settlement;
• Diversity: the area includes the remains of the major Roman road of Akeman Street and an adjacent Roman roadside settlement, including ditched enclosures, and potential for evidence of structures and buildings, together with at least one further minor Roman road and evidence for Iron Age occupation activity;
• Potential: the unexcavated areas have the potential to retain important archaeological features, environmental deposits and artefacts which will contribute to our knowledge and understanding of the form and construction of Roman infrastructure and settlement, and social and economic aspects of Romano-British life.