Emms Farm - Emms Lane

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Emms Farm - Emms Lane

Emms Farm is a Grade II listed former farmhouse, with square-panelled timber framing, painted brick noggin and a thatched roof, set in about an acre of land to the rear of Reeves Farm and Priory Cottage. The original part of the farmhouse was probably built prior to 1620 and was originally called Southay Farm, since it stood on the south ‘hay’, i.e. hedge or enclosure, of the hamlet of Milbourne (or Stradbrook, which latterly merged with the hamlet of Bratton). At this time its lands ran all the way up to the edge of Salisbury Plain. In 1669 the farm was bought by the Longleat estate, and leased out to James Hodges, a Quaker, and was at this time referred to as 2 Hodges tenement. In 1701 the barn was licensed to James and his brother, John Hodges, as a Quaker meeting house. The barn has been rebuilt on several occasions since it was first erected - most recently by its current owner, Dr Edwards, who had it comprehensively dismantled and restored in 2007–8.
The first connection to the Emm family seems to date back to 1769 when a 17 year old Joseph Emm, who seems to have been working as a labourer on the farm at the time, carved his initials and age on one of the walls of the barn. Although in later life Joseph became a prominent local farmer, leasing several farms in Bratton, it is more likely that the farmhouse was named after his brother, James, and his wife Mary who lived there from 1812 to 1842. Various generations of the Flowers family that worked the farm for the best part of the next 100 years were also originally connected to the Emm family by marriage.
By the time that Dr Peter Higgins, who practised locally from 1952, moved in, most of the land had been sold off to other farms. During his time there he fitted a bow-window to the drawing-room and constructed a new building at the rear between the house and the dairy containing a kitchen, two bathrooms and a small bedroom. He also built a small garage in the yard facing the house.
Between 1974 and 1989 the house was owned by various members of the armed forces, the last of whom was Air Vice-Marshal Sir Donald Hall.

'Emms Farm' by John Hamilton-Wilkes

Historic England listing for house

Historic England listing for barn

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