Details

The monument includes a moated site located about 220m to the west of the site
of Cranley Green. The moat, which ranges in width from approximately 4m on the
east side to 10m on the west and is water-filled, surrounds a rectangular
island with internal dimensions of about 92m north south by 44m. A shallow
depression approximately in the centre of the island marks the site of an
internal pond connected to the eastern arm of the moat by a short sluice
channel. The pond was probably used originally for the conservation of a stock
of fish for domestic consumption. To the north of it is a platform, slightly
raised above the level of the ground to the south, on which stands a house
which is a Listed Building Grade II, dated to the early 19th century. Access
to the island is provided by a causeway across the northern arm of the moat,
and there is a second causeway across the eastern arm, towards its northern
end, which is a modern feature, not shown on an estate map of 1840. The north
east corner of the moat has been enlarged externally to create a pond, but the
original line of the moat, which is deeper, is known to survive within it. The
pond is also not shown on the map of 1840 and was presumably made at a later
date.

The house, a greenhouse and cold frame, raised beds, paving to the rear of the
house, the surface of the drive way, garden trellises, a service pole and a
sewage processing plant are all excluded from the scheduling, although the
ground beneath all these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches,
often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more
islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some
cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites
served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the
provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical
military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was
between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in
central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built
throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and
exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a
significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding
of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples
provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.

The moated site at Gate Farm survives well and will contain archaeological
information concerning the construction of the moat and its occupation during
the medieval and early post-medieval periods, including evidence for earlier
buildings on the site, predating the present house. It is one of three moated
sites which bordered and had access to Cranley Green, the outline of which can
still be traced in surviving boundaries. As a group, these represent a good
example of greenside settlement characteristic of this area of Suffolk, and
are thus of particular interest for the study of medieval settlement in the
region. The other two moated sites are the subject of separate schedulings.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Title: Maps ... of Farms belonging to Sir Edward Kerrison
Source Date: 1840
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
SRO Ref HA68 484/762

Source: Historic England