Ambrose Farm

  • Ambrose Farm
  • Floor plans from 2008 brochure
  • The mark in the Bressumer beam at Ambrose Farm
  • A very similar mark found on https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/discovering-witches-marks/types-of-marks/
Archive Notes:

Listing details and reprt by Oxfordshire Buildings Record (OBR) in 2019 of the history of the house. Since the report was produced, further consideration has been given to the mark on the Bresummer beam. It is now considered that it was produced by a 'race knife' or scoop knife used to cut more prominent marks (than those used as level marks which are made with a fine blade) in timber. As such, it has a greater likelihood of being an apotropaic (warding off evil) mark. A similar mark has been found on a website in November 2019, which it is thought might be 'Marian' (related to the Virgin Mary).

Listing details state 'Farmhouse, now house. Early C17 and C18, altered C20. Colourwashed limestone rubble and squared quoins; old plain-tile roof and brick stacks. L-plan. 2 storeys. 4-window front has central lateral stack flanked by large C20 bay windows at ground floor, and at first floor has two C20 casements to right and another to left with a late C17/early C18 cross window with leaded lights to extreme left. Gable stack to left. Double span C18 rear wing to left has plank door and 3-light leaded casements in side and segmental-arched casements in gable wall. Interior: Main range largely remodelled but retains wide Tudor-arched stone fireplace with recessed spandrels. Rear wing has fireplace with bressumer'.

Sale brochure July 2008, with Estate Agents' measurements and floor plan. Also 32 photographs of interior and exterior held only in WVA.

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