Farmhouse, Burleigh Castle

Farmhouse and Courtyard Steading, Burleigh Castle

This early 19th century farmhouse with associated outbuildings incorporates earlier structures that were substantially altered and rebuilt as an improved courtyard steading in the later or late 19th century, after the 1853 Ordnance Survey map.

The farmhouse stands to the south of the complex. Dating to around 1820, it comprises a 2-storey, 3-bay south-facing house built onto an earlier 2-storey, 3-bay north-facing cottage. The south elevation of the south block is finished in cream stugged and coursed rubble with raised droved margins and dressings. A rectangular tripartite porch projects from the centre, featuring a block parapet and cornice, with a narrow 2-pane sash and case window flanking a doorway. The door itself has two pointed panels with a plain narrow fanlight above. Later 19th century canted bay windows with plate glass sash and case glazing flank the porch. Three 12-pane sash and case windows light the first floor. The pitched slated roof has end stacks and broad skews, with chimney stacks rising from the gables and finished with plain copes.

The north block predates the south-facing block and faces north into the courtyard. It is built of roughly squared rubble beneath a steeply pitched slated roof with end stacks. It has been altered at various dates, with early 19th century windows at first floor level, though modern concrete rendering to the left of the door represents an unfortunate later intervention. Both the north and south blocks appear on the 1853 Ordnance Survey map.

The west range dates to the early 19th century, though it may incorporate an even earlier core. Originally single storey, it was heightened and altered in the later 19th century to include an attic storey, with many subsequent modifications. It is finished in pink stugged and roughly squared sandstone rubble beneath a pitched roof of slate and corrugated iron, with stone skews. The west elevation displays a variety of asymmetrical openings, including later 19th century openings with chamfered lintels and a bipartite window at the south end. The courtyard-facing east elevation contains a more regular series of door openings. The north section contains stables with two segmental-arched cart-shed bays to the east, one of which is now blocked. Integrated into the range is a 3-bay dwelling house with three dormers on the west elevation. A lower single storey end block with a slated roof, piended to the north, is attached at the north end.

The north range comprises a roofless block to the west. To the east stands a possibly 18th century single storey rubble-built range with a steep pantiled roof, piended at the east end, with stone skews. A later 19th century louvered ridge vent with slated roof overlies the western section.

The east range, used for cart storage and grain storage, dates to the early 19th century. It is constructed of roughly squared and stugged pink sandstone rubble with contrasting cream sandstone droved dressings. The west elevation contains nine bays with asymmetrical openings, including five basket-arched cart bays positioned off-centre, three of which are now blocked with concrete and modern windows, with the right-hand bay also penned. Four square hay loft openings are positioned above. A single entrance bay stands to the left with three bays to the right, containing a pair of vehicular entrances with sliding vertically boarded doors. The east elevation originally housed a water-powered sawmill beneath a lean-to corrugated iron roofed shed; some good agricultural machinery was extant in 1991.

At the centre of the complex lies a cattle court comprising three cowshed blocks. The northernmost block is the earliest, possibly dating to the 18th century, and is built of cream and yellow sandstone random rubble with rounded quoins. It has a pitched pantiled roof with a relieving arch over a wide entrance in the west gable. Both the west and east entrances are spanned by timber lintels.

Attached to the south are two identical ranges of later or late 19th century date, incorporating rubble fragments of earlier structures. These are broad on plan with steeply pitched roofs finished in diamond pattern felt tiles and glazed at the ridges. Glazed oculi appear in the gable ends with raised margins: the margin of the south range comprises concrete in four sections, while the centre range features ashlar in 26 voussoirs.

A single-span bridge lies to the east of the east range, spanning a lade and originally carrying water to power the waterwheel on the east elevation of the east range.