Britains Farm

Built in 16th century for the village carpenter.  Previously William le Breton had a farm here in 1383.

Britains Farm is a medieval timber-framed hall house. It stands two storeys high with five framed bays. In 1784, the year of the Brick Tax, more building took place, so the new wing at the back was built from ‘poor man’s bricks,’ with bricks laid on their sides instead of flat. It is a Grade II listed building.

There was an original farm documented on this site in 1383, with William de Breton resident.  Britains was the site of the village carpenter’s house and workshop for around 300 years. In 1583, a John Elliot of Britains Farm appears in the Surrey Muster Lists as an archer. In the 1592 muster he was listed as the only representative of both Horsleys capable of firing a calver, which was a primitive version of musket. There is also a record of him signing parishioner’s wills and other documents, so he was able to read and write. After the Civil War, Britains became two dwellings housing a carpenter and a husbandman

Carpenters remained at Britains until the 19th century. In that century, one William Archer returned the land to farming, and started a dairy. His son Edward married into the Crouch family, and he and his wife Ann, had ten children, who all remained unmarried.  

Britains Farm was one of the village houses painted by Hellen Allingham.