Aisled Cowshed At Coley Farm

The aisled cowshed at Coley Farm is part of an early 19th-century model farmstead, constructed in the 1830s and 1840s, with some minor later alterations. The building is made of red brick and features slate roofs.

The exterior consists of three parallel ranges, including a lower central aisle that has wide segmental arched openings with stone quoins. The ranges on the right each have high central windows with segmental arched heads. The side elevations include a central gable with a circular opening and two door openings on each side, also with segmental arched heads and stone quoins. The structure extends to the south at the west end.

Inside, the cowshed has timber king post trusses in each range and brick partition walls.

Historically, the period from 1800 to 1840 saw increased mechanisation in agriculture, and Coley Farm is a notable example of a well-equipped early 19th-century model farm that included mechanised milling. Coley Mill is marked on the first Ordnance Survey map for Staffordshire, surveyed in 1833-34, and is also shown on the 1839 Tithe Map of Gnosall, alongside the rick yard, barn, hovel, house, and garden. The current corn mill is believed to date from 1842, although there has been a water mill on this site since the 16th century.

The cowshed has group value with the other buildings of the model farm, including the stable, cart shed, mill, malthouse, and kiln, which are all listed separately as one item. Together, these structures contribute to our understanding of model farmsteads on a national level.