The History of Yeoman House
This ancient dwelling house is grade 2 listed and of historical interest. It is the only Derbyshire building illustrated in the book of English Vernacular Houses published in 1975 to record the findings of the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. With the exception of the Parish Church, it is the oldest building in Aston on Trent.
It is believed that the original house on the site was built of wood in medieval times. The stone plinth, which supported the original walls, was retained when they were rebuilt in brick. At a later date the house was heightened to give two stories and an attic and a wing added to the South East. The date stone set above the diaper pattern of the early West wall brickwork suggests that the additions were completed in 1690, which coincides with the period during which St. Pauls was being built.
When the height of the building was increased, the new roof was built in a cruck arch construction, still to be seen today in the attic flat. This method is an adaptation of a ship building technique and the reliability of these joints had been proved at sea. In an inverted position they made a similar stout roof.
The last quarter of the 17th century was the time when brick houses were built for men with lesser status and 16 the Green was probably a Yeomans house. Examples of its type are more commonly found in the Midlands further to the east.
Originally the house was of a three cell construction with a fireplace to heat the central cell and a fire window in the west wall which was later bricked up, but which can still be seen from the outside. The two outer cells were unheated. A map produced in 1882 shows an addition built into the middle of the L shape. At the beginning of the 20th century when the building was used as a farmhouse with land where the Manor Road houses are now, this was used as a dairy, but it was later removed. No 16 the Green was never part of the Aston Hall Estate and so did not appear on the sale documents of 1924 when most houses in the village were sold as part of the estate.
In 1975, after remaining uninhabited for several years, permission was obtained to convert the building for office use on the ground floor with flats above. The building operations revealed some interesting items including some medieval oats (much smaller than todays) but which germinated when planted, handmade nails and square pegs which jammed tightly into their round holes to secure the timbers and a magnificent well of sturdy construction which regrettably could not be retained.
The new windows and glazing are worth noting as they closely follow the original type used, both in style and decoration. Suitable protective staining recaptures the appearance of the windows as they were in 1690.