Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
Oaklands
Other names
- Oaklands Farm
- Maison de Bas
Location
Rue de l'Eglise, St Lawrence
Type of property
Farm with 15th century origins and buildings added in the 17th, 18th and 19th.
Valuations
Sold for £520,000 in 2012
Families associated with the property
- Estur
- Langlois
- Godfray
- Fiott
- Pipon: In the 20th century the farm was owned by the Pipon family In 1901 farmer Edouard Pipon (1843- ) and his wife Mary, nee Le Sueur (1841- ) were living there with their second son Alfred Edward (1878- ), an ironmonger's assistant, and daughter Mary (1885- ). Edouard and Mary's eldest son Edward John (1876- ) was head of a separate household and also a farmer on his own account. He was married to Mary Jane, nee Bisson (1872- ) and in 1901 they had four children: Edward (1897- ), Ada (1899- ), Ida (1899- ) and Alfred (1890- )
In 1941 the property was occupied by Edward and Mary's youngest son, Hedley Arnold Pipon (1906- ), his wife Julia Maud, nee Dorey (1909- ) and their daughter Julia Mary
In the 1970s and '80s Oaklands' owner farmer Len Pipon was a prominent personality, amassing a wide range of old agricultural machinery and holding an annual threshing fayre which always attracted large crowds - see photographs below from the Jersey Evening Post.
Datestones
- ILG 1806 - For Jean Langlois
- PFO 1679 - For Pierre Fiott
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
An important early farm group with late medieval origins, with a good survival of features from the 15-19th century, and associated buildings retaining integrity as a farm group.
J McCormack Channel Island Houses identifies the main build phases as 15th century, 17th century, 18th and 19th century (owner family research suggests the east facing range as circa 1500 and the main house pre-1700).
The medieval arrangement is identifiable, with a courtyard at the front of the principal house, with a chamber wing (the east facing range) at right-angles to the main house, characteristically projecting forward from it, free-standing, and with a doorway on the first floor.
The courtyard was typically surrounded with all sorts of other ancillary buildings, now lost but shown on the 1795 Richmond map.
An early dating of the east facing range is widely accepted and also supported by previous evidence of oak-framed windows and iron barred windows, now lost. Other early features include a lavabo on first floor, built into the original north wall of the main house, although Old Jersey Houses suggests this may be a benetier relocated from a pre-Reformation chapel/church in the vicinity; and the king-post roof trusses in the main house.
A tourelle also likely existed, replaced by the north lean-to. The owner family research identifies the first known owners as the Estur family in the 1600s, later the Langlois family. The Langlois family called the farm Maison de Bas, to distinguish it from their other property Maison de Haut (now Ville au Veslet).
The dower wing was later added at the west end of the main house, and a lean-to added to the north wall.
In 1833 there were considerable interior changes to the main house, and a slate roof and new brick chimneys replaced the original thatch roof. Charles Godfray, husband of Marie Langlois, had the east wing of the house built in 1856 (the date incised on the lead ridge), which included a ballroom and supper room, with extra bedrooms above.
Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795.
Group of historic farm buildings consisting of an early four-bay, two-storey farmhouse with later adjoining three-bay, two-storey dower wing to the west; and a Victorian two-storey wing on the east side. At the front is an east facing, early two-storey range of buildings forming one side of a courtyard. Outbuildings include a bakehouse, pigsty and single-storey sheds to the north, and a detached 19th century farm building to the west; with a walled garden to the northwest.
The interiors of the buildings have been altered but retain some historic features of interest. The east facing range (earlier north building) has the remains of a corbelled granite fireplace on the ground floor, and a chamber fireplace above at the opposite end of the building. The owner family research also identifies a pouchette wall niche in the southeast corner at ground floor - now hidden behind a concrete pillar.
There are early ceiling beams in the upper floor chamber, but otherwise the roof is modern. The main house and dower wing range are modernised (the house internally sub-divided) but retain some early features of note: a stone lavabo with pointed arch in the first floor rear wall (now bathroom); and pegged roof trusses with king-post.
The only interior feature of note to the Victorian east wing is the elaborate ceiling rose in the former ballroom. The bakehouse retains its historic interior with oven, hearth and copper.
Old Jersey Houses
Oaklands, in Route de l'Eglise, St Lawrence, has some superb old features, including a large benitier, a bakehouse with oven and hearth, an exterior stone staircase and a rare trough, half inside and half out for feeding animals from in the kitchen.
A window lintel put to use as a step has the date 1590 inscribed. The east-facing part of the property is believed to be the oldest structure, a stone dated 1679 with PF within a shield, probably representing Pierre or Philippe Fiott. Another stone reads ILG 1806, for Jean Langlois.
A much later wing on the east of the main house held a ballroom and supper room.
There are many features from the 18th century, when Oaklands was owned by the Langlois family and was called Maison de Bas. It passed from Jean Langlois (1712-1755) to Philippe (1747- ), to Jean (1770-1848, Constable of St Lawrence, to Jean (1794-1833), to his daughter Marie (1827-
Notes and references
