Sailgates Farmhouse And Adjoining Stable/Granary Ranges

Sailgates Farmhouse and adjoining stable/granary ranges, now combined into a single dwelling, dates from the late 18th century with alterations in the late 20th century. The farmhouse is constructed of red-brown brick in a Flemish bond pattern, while the ranges are also brick. Replacement windows and doors are present, and the roofs are covered in pantiles.

The building comprises a west-facing range with a central lobby-entry farmhouse to the south, alongside farm buildings that originally included a granary and stabling, extending to the north. A modern, single-storey extension to the rear (east) is not of particular interest.

The original farmhouse is a two-storey, three-bay structure with widened window openings. It features a dentilled brick eaves cornice, stone-coped gables, and a central ridge stack. To the left is a lower two-story, two-window section with 20th-century windows inserted on the first floor. This section also has a dentilled brick eaves cornice. An end stack that was previously located on the left-hand side has since been removed. The single-storey and attic stable/granary to the left features a pair of segmental arched doorways. A former inserted doorway on the right is now a window, and further 20th-century windows are located immediately below the dentilled brick eaves cornice. A large brick arched opening was inserted into the north gable wall in the late 20th century.

Inside the farmhouse, a winding stair rises from the lobby entrance. Chamfered beams are exposed in the downstairs rooms of the original farmhouse. However, the beams in the northern building are later 20th-century insertions.

Sailgates, also known as Highfield Farm, Mill Top Farm, Highfields, North Field Farm, and Northcroft House, represents an early settlement within Belton’s open field system, a remnant of medieval farming practices where large open fields were divided into strips. The linear, north-south arrangement of the farm buildings reflects the north-south orientation of these strips in this area. The buildings were renovated in the late 20th century to form a single dwelling.

Sailgates is a well-preserved example of the local central lobby-entry farmhouse plan and holds particular historical significance relating to the development of the open fields of the Isle of Axholme, a rare surviving medieval field system.