1980 Stocken Farmhouse Memories

This article is listed in Social Snapshots 1969-2000 inc

by Joan West For more about Stocken Farm, click Stocken Farm. Stocken Farm Diary Part 1. Stocken Farm Diary Part 2. Stocken Farm Diary Part 3. Stocken Farm Diary Part 4.

The Farmhouse

John West and I, with our three young children moved into Stocken Farmhouse in January 1971. John had been born there so had known it all his life. Built in the 1600s it had been altered and extended many times, and now on the surface looked quite modern, but that was only on the surface!!! The following is an extract from my farm diary, published in Hallmark: -

Stocken Farmhouse.

When I first knew the farmhouse it was obviously old, even though it had electricity and a telephone.   The telephone was in a hall in the middle of the house, but in bad weather you needed to put on an overcoat before using it, as it was so cold and damp there.

Add - A Damp Course

Since then a damp course has been put in.   The council measured the damp and the reading went over the top of the scale even in the fireplaces in the centre of the house.

Add - Central Heating

We also put in central heating.

The Aga

We retained the Aga cooker in the kitchen although it was old and the controls didn't work. We changed it from solid fuel to oil.

Removed modern fireplaces

We opened up the two big fireplaces, (circa pre 1630) which had been modernised more than once.

Back like the 'good? old Days

Just as well we kept them as this weekend we had a feel of the good old days when the heating went off.   In truth, the fuel oil had run out.   It was cold damp weather outside and in.   The walls are solid brick with no cavity, so a hand on a wall inside, is a good indicator of what is going on outside.  This weekend a hand on the wall said “Cold”.

The Big Chimneys Cause Havoc

The big fireplaces are temperamental, also the Aga. You have to build up an understanding with them.   The chimneys are very big and wide and it takes a lot of air to make a good draught for them.   When we first lit the fire in the sitting room,  it recycled the air by pulling the smoke straight back down the next chimney into the dining room, then back through the house. We tried lighting both fires at the same time.  This worked, but together they drew so much air that within minutes they had put out the Aga, by pulling air down that chimney.

Add:- A Wood Burning Stove

Putting a wood burning stove in one room solved that problem.

In the Mean Time

This weekend found us huddled round the fire wanting to go to bed with all our clothes on, the house was so cold.   No wonder people used to wear so much in the way of bed socks, night caps and so on.

The Wicked Wind

The worst trouble was the wind, which found every nook and cranny and whistled though doors and secondary glazed windows like an orchestra playing.   I knew it had the reputation for being a cold and draughty house where the candles would blow out.   I can surely believe it.   At least we have electricity now.   Perhaps all the houses were like that or were the farmhouses in the nature of the cobblers children going worst shod – the farm buildings getting the most attention.  The back of the house is exposed to the N.E. wind and it felt as if there was nothing between it and Siberia.