Description

HARROGATE

700/0/10051 PRINCES ROYAL WAY
08-SEP-08 Spacey Houses, near Pannal
Spacey Houses Farm

II

Farmstead, farm house and attached cottage, evolved in the late C18 and early C19.

MATERIALS
Coursed limestone with slate roofs (although most of the farm buildings have replacement sheet roof coverings that are not of special interest).

FARMSTEAD LAYOUT
(All of the buildings are orientated either parallel or at right angles to the main road, Princess Royal Way, which runs approximately SSW to NNE. For ease of description the following assumes that it runs north-south and that the buildings are similarly orientated either north-south or east-west).

The farmhouse faces the road to the west with the cottage attached to its north. To the south there is a yard formerly used for cart horses with a tack room and stables on the east side and a further loose box on the south side. Attached to the west of the loose box there is a former milking parlour. To the south there is an enclosed cattle fold yard with the milking parlour forming the north west corner. The east side is formed by a threshing barn, the south by former open fronted shelter sheds with a two storey cow house with feed store above forming the remaining part of the west side, separated from the milking parlour by the access out onto the road. To the east of the threshing barn there is a former horse engine shed and an open stackyard with a C20 Dutch barn beyond. To the north of the stack yard there is another long narrow yard with a cart shed on the south side and a further range of buildings including a tall slaughter house on the north side. To the west of the cart shed there is a two storey building thought to be a granary with further cart and implement storage below, beyond to the west there is the rear of the tack room and stables with the farmhouse beyond to the north west. North of the tack room en route between the stables and the cart sheds there is a water trough.

FARMHOUSE and COTTAGE
Plan: The farmhouse was originally of 2 bays, detached from the cottage which may have originally been a block of four 1 up 1 down gable entry cottages. The farmhouse was extended in the early C19 with the addition of another bay infilling the gap with the cottages (resulting in the loss of the southern gable entrances and presumably resulting in the conversion into a pair of 2 up 2 down cottages using the northern gable entries). The farmhouse thus became a symmetrical, central entrance plan with end stacks. Sometime after 1932, the two cottages were amalgamated to form a single dwelling.

Exterior
West elevation: 3 bay farmhouse with a central 4 panelled front door with rectangular fanlight with a 4 pane sash window on the first floor above. Flanking bays have later inserted 2 storey canted bay windows with broad, 4 pane sashes. Roof is of stone slates to a stone ridge with raised coped gables supported by shaped kneelers. The original 2 bays of the farmhouse (the south 2 bays) are defined by quoins set on edge.
2 bay cottage to the north is slightly shorter than the farmhouse. Its ground floor windows are together, the first floor are apart. Upper windows are 3 over 6 pain sashes, the lower right is 4 over 8, the lower left being a modern casement that is not of interest. The north gable is quoined and is raised with coping and a kneeler. There is a tall central stack central to the roof slope which is stone slated.

South elevation: Central 4 pane sash to the ground floor with evidence of a blocked window above. To the right there is a slight scar line showing the roofline of the former attached cottage demolished after 1932.

East elevation: Farmhouse has scattered fenestration mainly of replacement windows that are not of special interest, however the first floor window of the northern bay (the later infill) retains an 8 over 8 hornless sash. There is a truncated stack to the right of the back door which is central. There is no kneeler for the south coped gable, and a simplified kneeler to the north. The elevation of the cottage breaks forward and is quioned. Unlike the front the windows are centrally placed in their bays, the lower being modern replacements, the upper being 3 over 6 sashes. Similar to the front elevation there is a central stack central to the roof slope. The north gable has a kneeler.

North elevation: Formerly symmetrical, the right hand gable entry has been converted to a window. Central to the façade are two 2 over 4 narrow sash windows, that to the left lighting the foot of the surviving stairs. The other two windows have replacement C20 casements.

Interior
The farmhouse has a complete set of 4 panel doors upstairs and two 6 panel doors downstairs. The entrance hall retains a built in corner cabinet, although this has lost some of its fittings. The left (north) reception room has a patterned plaster ceiling and frieze obscured by later wallpaper. It also retains a fireplace and an arched alcove. Upstairs there is one in situ C19 fireplace. The cottage has lost most of its original interior fittings.

TACK ROOM and STABLES
North south range of 2 attached buildings, both 2 storey with replacement corrugated sheet roofs. The northern building is quoined, is slightly smaller and lower and appears earlier than the building to the south that is unquoined.

The northern building is of 2 interconnected bays, interpreted as ground floor tack rooms with storage (and possible former accommodation) above. The ground floor of the north bay has a domestic scale door and window in the east and a similar window to the west. The south bay has an east window and a slightly broad west doorway. Internally the south bay has a large hearth and both have exposed chamfered floor beams. Access to the upper floor is via a first floor letting in door in the north gable. The north bay has a narrow 6 pane window to the west retaining its glazing bars. The south bay has two small east windows (boarded over at the time of survey) and a larger west window with replacement joinery. This may have been a former pitching window. Interior of the upper floor was not inspected although a damaged lath and plaster ceiling was observed through the letting-in door.

The south building is of 3 unequal bays with stabling on the ground floor with a hayloft above. The west wall has a central stable door with a domestic scale window to the left with replacement joinery. Above there is a planked taking-in door with a small louvered window to the right. The east wall also has a central stable door with a window to the right. Above there is a further louvered ventilation window. Internally the ground floor retains its stalls and other features such as hay feeders. Upper floor interior not inspected.

LOOSEBOXES and MILKING PARLOUR
1.5 storey east-west range attached to the south gable of the stables to form the south side of the horse yard south of the farmhouse, and the north side of the enclosed fold yard. The range is of at least 2 building phases, the 2 loose boxes to the east appearing earlier with fairer faced and coursed stonework. The range has a continuous roof cover of stone slates to a stone ridge supported by traditionally jointed queen-post trusses. The west loose box has a window to the right with a low taking in door above to a hayloft. The former milking parlour is extended to the south with a cat slide roof supported by a metal pinned truss of substantial timbers. It is interpreted as a former milking parlour because of its proximity to the farm house, that it has opposed low broad doorways that would have allowed cattle from the horse yard to the north to pass through the room out to the enclosed fold yard to the south, and because of the generous lighting provided by the 2 gable end windows and 2 south facing windows. The room was previously lofted with a gable end taking-in door and an additional window opening above the north door to the horse yard. The C20 stalling and feeders are not of special interest.

FOLD YARD
The north side of the fold yard is formed by the looseboxes and milking parlour (see above) with a still open shelter shed to the east; the west side by a 2 storey cow house, the south side by former shelter sheds and a threshing barn to the east.

The COW HOUSE is quoined and has a modern replacement roof covering. It has 3 unevenly spaced ground floor windows in its west wall, ground floor doorways in both gable ends and the east wall and first floor taking-in doors in the south gable and east wall (this with later glazing bars) with a first floor window in the north gable. Internally the original roof structure of pegged roof trusses survives, but the original first floor and any subdivisions have been lost, the modern cattle feeders not being of special interest. The building is interpreted as a cow house with feed preparation and storage above.

The FOLD YARD SHELTER SHEDS were originally open to the north but divided into 2 with a stone dividing wall which still survives. They appear to have been subsequently subdivided with brick piers and then converted into looseboxes with the construction of brick walls between the piers. The south wall, which is stone, has two inserted doorways out into the lane to the south, one subsequently blocked. The roof cover is modern corrugated sheeting that is not of special interest, but the original roof structure may survive. Interior not inspected.

The THRESHING BARN is orientated north-south and is of 5 bays. It is part of a range that continues a further couple of bays to the north to enclose the eastern side of the fold yard. The range is not quoined, but has slightly raised and coped gables. The roof cover is of Welsh slate, possibly a later C19 replacement of original stone slates. The barn has opposed, wide and high central entrances formed with nearly flat arches of large voussoirs. The western entrance has been reduced in size with brickwork to support the arch. There is evidence that the end bays were previously lofted and there is a blocked opening for a line shaft through to the horse engine shed to the east (see below). The roof structure is of traditionally jointed queen post trusses. The bays to the north of the barn were not inspected internally but in the east wall there is a first floor letting-in door with an inserted domestic scale first floor window retaining glazing bars to the right with a further original window opening below.

HORSE ENGINE SHED
This is attached to the northern 2 bays on the eastern side of the threshing barn. Its north and south walls are stone built with central entrances flanked by modern inserted windows. The east gable wall is a modern rebuild in brick. Internally it has been converted into stabling with a C20 roof structure that is not of special interest.

CART SHED
This lies to the north of the horse engine shed and faces north onto an east-west yard that has the tack room (see above) at its western end. The cart shed is single storey and is of 4 undivided bays open to the north. It is not quoined. The wall plate is a single, massive, hewn timber supported by round pillars with simple capitals constructed in coursed, roughly dressed limestone. The roof covering is a modern replacement, but the roof structure is late C18 or early C19 of traditionally jointed, mainly hewn timber, with the trusses displaying carpenters' marks.

GRANARY
This is of 2 storeys, orientated north south, and is attached to the west end of the cart shed, extending a further 2-3 bays to the south of its rear wall. A butt joint suggests that it pre-dates the cart shed. The building is quoined and retains a stone slate roof. The north gable has a cart opening with a square taking-in window above. The east wall has a similar blocked opening above the rear roof of the cart shed, with a smaller first floor opening further to the south. The west wall has a near central first floor door served by external stone steps. The south gable has a ground floor window opening. Internally the building retains its first floor structure as well as its traditionally jointed queen post roof structure.

SHELTER SHEDS
Spanning between the granary and the stables, their rear wall forming part of the north boundary of the fold yard to the south are three stone built bays forming shelter sheds that are open to the north. The roof covering is modern sheet material. The roof structure was not inspected.

SLAUGHTER HOUSE and attached range.
Forming the north side of the yard to the north of the cart shed there is an east-west range of buildings. At the western end there is a tall square building interpreted as a slaughter house. This has a gable entry to the west and a ground floor south window and a small, high level window in the east gable. The building is not quoined and it retains a stone slate roof. The building is open to the roof with its central tie beam truss supporting traditionally jointed trenched purlins. The lower parts of the walls are plastered internally and there are 3 beams for hauling up carcases.

To the east there is a 1.5 storey 4 bay building interpreted as a seed corn granary over general storage or pig and poultry housing. This is not quoined and has a replacement roof covering. The south wall has the remains of stone slab steps protruding from the wall leading up to a low doorway, the rest of the first floor being blind except for gable end ventilation slits. The ground floor is divided into two rooms each with a door in the south wall, the east room also having a window to the left of the door. The interior was not inspected.

The space between the slaughter house and the granary is roofed over and divided into 2 bays by a stone wall to form storage areas open to the south.

WATER TROUGH
A water trough lies to the west of the slaughter house, close to the back door of the farm house and en route between the stables and cart shed.

HISTORY
The settlement of Spacey Houses is thought to have developed from Spacey Houses Farm being named after the Spacey family who owned or tenanted the farm. Spacey House is named on Thomas Jefferys' county map published in 1775 and the house is reputed to have also served as a public house which included Blind Jack Metcalf (the late C18 road builder) amongst its clientele. The farm complex is shown on the Ordnance Survey 1:10560 map published in 1851, being shown in greater detail for the first time on the 1892 1:2500 map. The arrangement of buildings that survives at the farm appears to be that as depicted in 1851 with the loss of a single building (reported to have been a cottage) that was attached to the south end of the farm house and the addition of a single building, a metal framed Dutch barn to the east of the complex. The farm was sold to the Local Authority in the 1950s by the Harewood Estate. Although it is quite likely, it is not known if the farm had been part of the Harewood Estate from the C18.

REASON FOR DESIGNATION
Spacey Houses Farm is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons

* It is a very good survival of an evolved farmstead that was complete by the mid C19 and little altered subsequently
* The farm complex retains a wide range of farm buildings forming a complex layout. It is expected that a more detailed survey would reveal evidence of further specialist functions of various buildings.
* Although not a planned model farm, Spacey Houses demonstrates definite, well considered organisation in the way that the buildings are arranged to form the farmstead. This is illustrated on many levels such as the orientation of the cart shed (facing north to protect the timber of carts and implements from direct sunlight) and the provision of different yards to accommodate different functions and to control the movement of livestock
* The farmhouse and associated cottages were modified through the C19 providing further evidence of the evolution of the farm.
* For the interest that the various buildings were built at different times using a range of techniques so that, for instance, as a whole the farmstead preserves a range of roof structure designs.

Reasons for Listing

Spacey Houses Farm is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons:

* It is a very good survival of an evolved farmstead that was complete by the mid C19 and little altered subsequently
* The farm complex retains a wide range of farm buildings forming a complex layout.
* Although not a planned model farm, Spacey Houses demonstrates definite, well considered organisation in the way that the buildings are arranged to form the farmstead.
* The way that the farmhouse and associated cottages were modified through the C19 provides further evidence of the evolution of the farm.
* For the interest that the various buildings were built at different times using a range of techniques so that, for instance, as a whole the farmstead preserves a range of roof structure designs.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26672044

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)