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Title: | Property and Land: Buildings in Ewyas Lacy |
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Business Premises
Business activity in Ewyas Lacy has always been mainly related to agriculture or the day to day needs of rural communities. Most were small-scale service businesses working within individual parishes or townships, and as the nature of rural life has changed the majority of them have been put out of business by urban competitors. The buildings they occupied have either fallen into disuse, or [more commonly] been converted for other purposes. In either case their history is often not evident from their modern appearance, although in a few cases such as watermills the physical characteristics may remain striking enough to be identifiable. The links below highlight specific types of enterprise that have a significant number of references in the records, which may allow particular premises to be traced. Other insights into business activity in Ewyas Lacy and where it took place can be found by following the 'Working Lives' link on the main Subjects page.
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To browse references to buildings used by businesses in Ewyas Lacy, follow the links below. |
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| Farms
Farm buildings have evolved and adapted over the centuries as agricultural practices have changed. Stables and traditional farmyards surrounded by outbuildings have largely disappeared, having been made redundant as machines took over and required different ways of working. Stone barns, replaced by steel framed buildings providing more convenient access to modern machinery, have fallen to ruin or [more often] been converted to dwellings as the demand for rural housing has increased. Even farmhouses have often been sold off for homes, while the working farmers moved into more convenient modern bungalows nearby, encouraged by planning laws that allow farmers greater freedom for new building. Nevertheless, many fine examples of traditional farm buildings can still be found in Ewyas Lacy.
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To browse references to farm buildings in Ewyas Lacy, follow the links below. |
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| | Religious Buildings
Ewyas Lacy is well-endowed with religious buildings. Many of the churches predate the Normans, but most were rebuilt or refurbished after the Conquest reflecting the generosity of the Marcher Lords as religious benefactors. It also perhaps reflected their view that supporting the church would both help their personal salvation and give them a useful tool to control the local population. Similar thinking lay behind their sponsorship of monastic orders at Craswall and Llanthony priories. After the Reformation, Ewyas Lacy also saw the spread of nonconformist beliefs and the building of both Baptist and Methodist chapels in the area.
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To browse references to religious buildings in Ewyas Lacy, follow the links below. |
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| | Homes
Homes in Ewyas Lacy range from small cottages to large mansions attached to extensive estates, and reflect the spectrum of people from labourers, yeoman farmers, gentry and aristocracy that have lived in the area over the centuries. Some more modern building has taken place, but this has normally been constrained by the planning system to reflect traditional styles. Many older buildings survive from Norman and Medieval times, and have architectural and other features of considerable historical interest.
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To browse references to homes in Ewyas Lacy, follow the links below. |
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