Park Attwood Farm Bewdley Worcestershire

Oxford Archaeology (OA) has carried out a programme of building investigation and
recording at Park Attwood Farm, Bewdley, Worcestershire. The work took place in
advance of the conversion of a redundant barn to residential accommodation and was
undertaken as a condition of planning approval for the works.
The building covered by this survey comprises a red brick barn with a timber frame roof
which has been divided into small stables for horses and storage for tack as well as
further general farm storage rooms. There is a dovecote in the central bell tower which
is accessed by a spiral staircase. The louvered tower had collapsed and been rebuilt in
recent years although some original timbers remain. The barn is part of a courtyard
complex and the design is contemporary with the 1845 date stone upon the central front
gable.
An open access area on the south (rear) elevation has been enclosed by a later brick
wall, placing decorative external doors and windows upon the inside of the building.
The lack of decoration on the north (front) elevation raises the possibility that the
original main entrance to this building was through this rear section and not within the
courtyard. The surrounding buildings are of similar, but not the same, build suggesting
the courtyard complex was constructed in stages. An Ordnance Survey map of 1889
shows Park Attwood farm in its present courtyard plan.
The building shows many areas of redevelopment and change of use but still manages
to retain some original features. The fenestration of the barn is affected by later
window and doorway insertions and the building fabric shows evidence of other
repairs. The barn contains a lot of fixtures and fittings associated with animal
husbandry, many of which are original