Courtyard Buildings at Lower Whitehill Farm

Courtyard Buildings at Lower Whitehill Farm

A courtyard arrangement of farm buildings built in the mid-19th century, most probably as an estate development, arranged in a near-symmetrical plan. The group forms three sides of an open courtyard with the open side facing south-east towards the contemporary farmhouse.

The buildings are constructed of rubble stone brought to course with ashlar dressings and corrugated asbestos sheeting to the gabled roofs. Seven buildings of single and double-storey height are divided by party walls. The original internal partitions have been removed, making identification of the original functions of the buildings difficult to determine precisely.

The seven buildings are identified as A through G. Building D is the central double-height barn on the northern side of the courtyard. It has seven bays with central double doors to both the yard front and the rear, indicating that it was probably built as a threshing barn. The original barn doors have been replaced and lowered in height on the yard side. At either side of the central doors on both fronts are two breathers with cusped and pointed heads. The roof trusses each have a tie beam and queen struts which connect to the principals, with a central iron rod connecting the tie beam to the apex. There are two ranks of purlins to each side. The original arrangement of common rafters has been reduced in number. The original floor has been replaced with a concrete raft, with cattle grids set into the floor inside the entrance.

Buildings C and E are to the east and west of the barn and in line with it, each single-storey. Building C has now lost its roof and the majority of its walls, but appears to have been similar to building E. Marks in the gable end of the barn and building B show that it had a gabled roof with two ranks of purlins. Building E has a single doorway to the yard and two doors to the rear.

Buildings A and B form the southern end of the western side of the yard. Building A has a single sliding door to the eastern end of its rear side and a blank gable end. The yard front has three doorways and six windows to the upper walling. The roof trusses are formed of a tie beam, queen struts and two ranks of purlins with a tie rod at the centre.

Building B is of two storeys. Facing the yard, the stone walling has full-height openings at first-floor level which appear to have been taking-in doors. The rear, facing the fields, has a series of eight bays at ground-floor level flanked by square timber posts, appearing to be an animal shelter, with rubbed timber posts of square section standing on pyramidal stones. Above this is a loft with a clapboard side and adjustable timber ventilation louvers. The interior has the same trusses as elsewhere with iron reinforcing rods.

Buildings F and G form the southern end of the eastern side of the yard and are single-storey. Both appear to have been intended to house animal stalls, with blank stone walling to the outer side. Building F has a 20th-century ribbon window with metal frame to the top of the wall, running along the yard front with a single sliding door. Building G has to its inner, yard side a series of eleven openings divided by original stout square posts with jowled tops which support the roof trusses, indicating a former cattle shelter. The lower walling has been infilled with concrete blocks and rendered in the 20th century, with two sliding doors with hopper windows above. The roofs are of the type seen elsewhere with tie beams, principals and queen struts and queen posts, but building G is missing original common rafters on the outer slope of its roof, which has been partially boarded in the 20th century.

Stone walling has been reinforced by a lining of concrete blocks to its inner sides on buildings A and G.