Spacey Houses Farm

Overview

Spacey Houses Farm is an evolved farmstead near Pannal comprising a farmhouse, attached cottage, and extensive working buildings that developed during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The complex is constructed of coursed limestone with slate roofs, though many farm buildings now have modern replacement sheet coverings.

Layout and Organisation

The farmstead is arranged along Princes Royal Way (which runs approximately north-south), with all buildings orientated either parallel or perpendicular to this main road. The farmhouse faces west towards the road, with the cottage attached to its north side.

South of the farmhouse lies a former cart horse yard, with tack room and stables along the east side and a loose box on the south. A former milking parlour is attached to the west of this loose box. Further south is an enclosed cattle fold yard, with the milking parlour forming its northwest corner. The east side consists of a threshing barn, the south side formerly open-fronted shelter sheds, and the west side a two-storey cow house with feed store above (separated from the milking parlour by the access road).

East of the threshing barn stands a former horse engine shed and an open stackyard with a 20th-century Dutch barn beyond. North of the stackyard is another long, narrow yard with a cart shed on the south side and a range including a tall slaughter house on the north. West of the cart shed is a two-storey building, likely a granary with cart and implement storage below. A water trough is positioned between the stables and cart sheds, near the farmhouse back door.

The Farmhouse

The farmhouse was originally two bays and detached from the cottage. In the early 19th century, it was extended by another bay, infilling the gap with the cottages. This created a symmetrical, central-entrance plan with end stacks. The cottage may originally have been four one-up, one-down gable-entry cottages, which were converted into a pair of two-up, two-down cottages (with loss of the southern gable entrances) when joined to the farmhouse. After 1932, the two cottages were amalgamated into a single dwelling.

The west-facing farmhouse elevation has three bays with a central four-panelled front door topped by a rectangular fanlight and four-pane sash window above. The flanking bays feature later two-storey canted bay windows with broad four-pane sashes. The roof is stone-slated to a stone ridge with raised coped gables supported by shaped kneelers. The original two southern bays are defined by quoins set on edge.

The south elevation has a central four-pane ground floor sash with evidence of a blocked window above, and a scar line showing the roofline of the former attached cottage demolished after 1932.

The east elevation has scattered fenestration, mainly replacement windows, though the first-floor window of the northern (infill) bay retains an eight-over-eight hornless sash. A truncated stack sits right of the central back door. The south coped gable has no kneeler, whilst the north has a simplified one.

The two-bay cottage to the north is slightly shorter than the farmhouse. Its ground floor windows are positioned together, while the first-floor windows are apart. Upper windows are three-over-six pane sashes; the lower right is four-over-eight, the lower left a modern casement. The north gable is quoined and raised with coping and kneeler, with a tall central stack in the roof slope. The stone-slated roof matches the farmhouse.

On the cottage's east elevation (which breaks forward and is quoined), windows are centrally placed in their bays—lower ones are modern replacements, upper ones three-over-six sashes. A central stack sits in the roof slope, and the north gable has a kneeler.

The north elevation was formerly symmetrical but the right-hand gable entry has been converted to a window. Central to the façade are two narrow two-over-four sash windows (the left lighting the foot of the surviving stairs). The other two windows have 20th-century replacement casements.

Interior

The farmhouse retains a complete set of four-panel doors upstairs and two six-panel doors downstairs. The entrance hall has a built-in corner cabinet, though some fittings are lost. The left (north) reception room has a patterned plaster ceiling and frieze (obscured by later wallpaper), plus a fireplace and arched alcove. Upstairs, one 19th-century fireplace remains in situ. The cottage has lost most original interior fittings.

Farm Buildings

Tack Room and Stables

This north-south range comprises two attached two-storey buildings with replacement corrugated sheet roofs. The northern building (quoined, slightly smaller and lower) appears earlier than the unquoined southern building.

The northern building has two interconnected bays, interpreted as ground-floor tack rooms with storage (possibly former accommodation) above. The north bay's ground floor has a domestic-scale door and window on the east and similar window to the west. The south bay has an east window and slightly broader west doorway. Internally, the south bay has a large hearth and both have exposed chamfered floor beams. Upper floor access is via a first-floor letting-in door in the north gable. The north bay has a narrow six-pane west window retaining glazing bars. The south bay has two small boarded east windows and a larger west window (possibly a former pitching window) with replacement joinery.

The southern building has three unequal bays with ground-floor stabling and hayloft above. The west wall has a central stable door with domestic-scale window to the left (replacement joinery). Above is a planked taking-in door with small louvered window to the right. The east wall similarly has central stable door with right-hand window, plus upper louvered ventilation window. The ground floor retains stalls and features such as hay feeders.

Looseboxes and Milking Parlour

This one-and-a-half-storey east-west range attaches to the stables' south gable, forming the south side of the horse yard and north side of the fold yard. The range shows at least two building phases—the two eastern loose boxes appear earlier with fairer-faced, coursed stonework. The continuous stone-slate roof to stone ridge is supported by traditionally jointed queen-post trusses.

The west loose box has a window to the right with low taking-in door above to a hayloft. The former milking parlour extends south with a catslide roof supported by a metal-pinned truss of substantial timbers. Its interpretation as a milking parlour is based on its proximity to the farmhouse, opposed low broad doorways allowing cattle passage between horse yard and fold yard, and generous lighting from two gable-end and two south-facing windows. The room was previously lofted with gable-end taking-in door and additional window above the north door. The 20th-century stalling and feeders are not of special interest.

Fold Yard Buildings

The fold yard's north side is formed by the looseboxes, milking parlour, and an open shelter shed to the east. The west side features a two-storey cow house, the south side former shelter sheds, and the east side a threshing barn.

The Cow House is quoined with modern replacement roof covering. It has three unevenly spaced ground-floor windows in the west wall, ground-floor doorways in both gables and the east wall, and first-floor taking-in doors in the south gable and east wall (the latter with later glazing bars), plus a first-floor north gable window. Internally, the original pegged roof trusses survive, but the original first floor and subdivisions are lost. It 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 in two with a surviving stone dividing wall. They appear to have been subsequently subdivided with brick piers, then converted into looseboxes with brick walls between piers. The stone south wall has two inserted doorways (one subsequently blocked) opening onto the lane. The modern corrugated sheet roof may conceal the original structure.

The Threshing Barn is orientated north-south with five bays, forming part of a range continuing northward to enclose the fold yard's eastern side. The range is not quoined but has slightly raised, coped gables. The Welsh slate roof covering possibly replaced original stone slates in the late 19th century. The barn has opposed wide, high central entrances formed with nearly flat arches of large voussoirs—the western entrance reduced in size with brickwork supporting the arch. Evidence suggests end bays were previously lofted, and there is a blocked opening for a line shaft through to the horse engine shed. The roof structure comprises traditionally jointed queen-post trusses. The northern bays' east wall has a first-floor letting-in door with inserted domestic-scale first-floor window (retaining glazing bars) to the right, and a further original window opening below.

Horse Engine Shed

Attached to the northern two bays on the threshing barn's eastern side, this building has stone-built north and south walls with central entrances flanked by modern inserted windows. The east gable wall is a modern brick rebuild. It has been converted into stabling with 20th-century roof structure.

Cart Shed

North of the horse engine shed, facing north onto an east-west yard, this single-storey structure has four 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 modern replacement, but the roof structure is late 18th or early 19th century of traditionally jointed, mainly hewn timber, with trusses displaying carpenters' marks.

Granary

This two-storey building is orientated north-south, attached to the cart shed's west end and extending two to three bays south of its rear wall. A butt joint suggests it pre-dates the cart shed. The building is quoined and retains a stone slate roof. The north gable has a cart opening with square taking-in window above. The east wall has a similar blocked opening above the cart shed's rear roof, with smaller first-floor opening further 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 and traditionally jointed queen-post roof structure.

Shelter Sheds

Spanning between the granary and stables, with rear wall forming part of the fold yard's north boundary, three stone-built bays form shelter sheds open to the north. The roof covering is modern sheet material.

Slaughter House and Attached Range

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

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

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

Water Trough

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

History

The settlement of Spacey Houses is thought to have developed from Spacey Houses Farm, 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 whose clientele included Blind Jack Metcalf, the late 18th-century road builder.

The farm complex is shown on the Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 map published in 1851, with greater detail appearing on the 1892 1:2,500 map. The surviving arrangement appears to match that depicted in 1851, with the loss of a single building (reported to have been a cottage) attached to the farmhouse's south end, and the addition of a metal-framed Dutch barn east of the complex. The farm was sold to the Local Authority in the 1950s by the Harewood Estate. It is likely, though unconfirmed, that the farm had been part of the Harewood Estate from the 18th century.

Reasons 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-19th century and little altered subsequently.
• The farm complex retains a wide range of farm buildings forming a complex layout, with potential for further specialist functions to be revealed through more detailed survey.
• Although not a planned model farm, Spacey Houses demonstrates definite, well-considered organisation in the arrangement of buildings. This is illustrated on many levels, such as the cart shed's north-facing orientation (protecting timber of carts and implements from direct sunlight) and provision of different yards to accommodate different functions and control livestock movement.
• The farmhouse and associated cottages were modified through the 19th century, providing further evidence of the farm's evolution.
• The various buildings were constructed at different times using a range of techniques, so that the farmstead as a whole preserves a range of roof structure designs.