This farmhouse in the village of Letcombe Bassett was built in the 17th century and modified in the following two centuries. The farm had a large thatched barn and a line of tin, tiled and thatched roofed sheds, which together with the house formed three sides of the farmyard. Below the farm is a cottage that was the inspiration for ‘Arabella’s Cottage’ from Thomas Hardy’s ‘Jude the Obscure’. There were also extensive cress beds, the produce of which was sold both within the wider local area and in London where it was well known as ‘Bassett Cress’. In 1975 the house and barn were separated from the farm and sold. The farmhouse is now a private dwelling and the main thatched barn has become a separate house. The original farm range of outbuildings has been demolished.
The Pendon team thought this an excellent example of a very small farm to be modelled for the museum. In 1970 when the farm was surveyed and photographed the farm buildings were still mostly complete. The building of the model and its surroundings were a team effort with five modellers contributing to the buildings, features and surrounding landscape.
