(Described in the Appreciation as "Cart shed and barn north of Abbey Barn" and "Range of farm buildings east of cart shed")
(Both buildings are unlisted in the Appreciation, but recommended, at least in part, for Grade II listing)
(Both buildings are unlisted in the Appreciation, but recommended, at least in part, for Grade II listing)
This was a cutting edge building in its day ~ the 2003 Conservation Plan describes it as "an architecturally accomplished example of an early 18th century 'Industrial Farm' building", perhaps a rebuilding of an earlier version, but in any case a "forward-looking investment in the farm during the early modern period".
The Appreciation comments that it "partially obstructs the view of the Abbey barn from the village", but the trees to the north do that far more effectively today than they did in 1973. The building is now used as the ticket office and shop for the Children's Farm.
The Appreciation was mainly interested in the range shown in these two photographs, and thought that at least part of it should be demolished, commenting that it obstructed the view of the Tithe Barn from the Abbey side and the church.
The Conservation Plan describes the whole collection of buildings, not all of which are visible from this viewpoint ~ a mixture of styles and dates, from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries, with an element of uncertainty about it all.
This investment in the farm coincided, the Plan suggests, with the Strangways family link by marriage to the wealthier Fox dynasty in 1735. Elizabeth Fox-Strangways (nee Strangways-Horner), first Countess of Ilchester, inherited the estate in 1758, built Abbotsbury Castle close to the shore, and moved there in 1780, re-establishing the family links with Abbotsbury. It was at this time that Abbey Farm was developed and (so the Plan believes) later divided in two.
The 1973 photograph (left, above) shows the pond being drained, as it was once again drained in 2004: the Conservation Plan had noted that it was heavily silted up. The authors of the Plan add that the pond is "certainly artificial, but is not obviously related to any of the mills, so it may have been a fishpond". That would tally with its location inside the Abbey precincts and the Benedictine dietary rules.