South Western Range, Farmsteading, Chalkielaw Farm

South Western Range, Farmsteading, Chalkielaw Farm

This farm complex comprises buildings of differing dates, primarily from around 1800 and the mid 19th century, with later additions and alterations. It consists of a 2-storey farmhouse to the south and a steading with a U-planned court and a range of covered cattle courts screened by a continuous north-west elevation.

FARMHOUSE

The farmhouse dates to the early 19th century with a mid 19th century addition. It is L-planned and built of sandstone rubble with droved ashlar dressings.

The south-east elevation features a mid 19th century 2-storey projection to the centre, with a bay to its left that was part of the former 3-bay house. The bay to the right has windows at ground and 1st floor level; the ground floor window has been enlarged with a timber mullion and rendered margins. The projection itself has windows at ground and 1st floor to its centre. A flush-panelled door with an ornamental rectangular fanlight above, and a 1st floor window in a bay to the right of the return elevation complete this face, along with a ground floor window in a bay to the left.

The south-west elevation is 4-bay, with windows to each storey of the inner bays. The outer right bay is blank. A half-blinded, glazed-upper door with a 1st floor window above is situated to the outer left. Gableheads appear in both the inner and outer left bays.

The north-west elevation shows signs of considerable alteration. It has a blinded window to each floor at centre, with a window at ground level immediately to the right. Boarded doors occupy the outer bays, alongside blinded windows and doors at 1st floor level. A single-storey addition to the outer left, set back, contains a window and blinded window.

The windows are 12-pane and plate glass timber sash and case. The roof is slate, with a half-piended projection to the south-east and a monopitch single-storey addition to the north-east. Wallhead stacks are positioned at the gablehead to the left of the south-west elevation (brick) and to the outer right of the south-west elevation (rendered brick), with a brick gablehead stack at the north-east.

The interior was not seen during the survey in 1995.

STEADING

The steading is built of sandstone and whinstone rubble with droved ashlar dressings. The U-planned court behind the farmhouse to the north-west dates to the early 19th century. Covered cattle courts, in their current use since around 1900, adjoin the U-planned court to its north-east.

The north-west elevation of the steading range is single-storey, comprising 17 bays that join the U-planned court with the covered courts. Gabled outer bays (the one to the outer right featuring kneelers) and an 11th bay to the right are prominent features. Vents with cast-iron grilles appear at wallhead level. A glazed-vented opening sits in the gablehead of the bay to the outer left, while a sliding metal door occupies the bay to the outer right. A round-arched opening in the 11th gable to the right contains a 2-leaf boarded door and boarded blinding to the arch. A boarded gable closes the south-east elevation of the 11th bay. The roof is red pan-tile.

U-PLANNED COURT

The U-planned court comprises single-storey ranges except for a 2-storey threshing barn. The sandstone rubble open cattle court at the centre has rounded corners, with hay hecks and timber-supported monopitch shelter. Blinded feeding openings face to the south-east.

The south-west range, north-east elevation, is harl-pointed sandstone and whinstone rubble with droved ashlar dressings. It contains a threshing barn, boiler room and hen house across 9 bays, grouped 7-2. A boarded door at 1st floor opens to the centre of the 7-bay group. The outer 3 bays of the 7-bay group have a boarded door (to the boiler room) flanked by 2 windows. A split door occupies the inner bay to the right, while the outer bays are blank. The 2-bay group to the right is single-storey, with a boarded door in the left bay and a timber addition in the right bay.

The south-west range, south-west elevation, comprises 7 bays grouped 2-5. A 2-leaf boarded door sits to the right of the bay to the right, with a lean-to addition alongside featuring a boarded door to the return elevation, plus a boarded door and window. A 2-leaf boarded door at 1st floor level opens from the 5-bay group, with a boarded door at ground level to its left of centre. The blank bay to the inner right is matched by a sliding door in the outer right bay, which has an inner boarded door with a sliding hen door at its base. A 2-storey addition projects to the left of centre, its 1st floor featuring a 2-leaf boarded door to the left. The roof is grey slate, with 2-pane 19th century rooflights. The interior contains a boiler in place, timber hen shelves in a rear room, a bagging machine to the threshing barn, and threshing machines at 1st floor level. A stalk of red brick with bracketed coping stands between the projection and the threshing machine.

The north-west range, south-east elevation, is 7-bay with glazed and vented openings to the outer bays and bays to the inner right and centre. A 2-leaf double sliding door occupies the penultimate right bay. Boarded doors appear in the inner left bay and the penultimate left bay. The roof is red pantile except for slate to the outer right.

The north-east range, south-west elevation, comprises 5 bays grouped 3-2. A sliding boarded door opens to the centre of the 3-bay group, flanked by glazed-vented openings. 2-leaf boarded double doors occupy each bay of the 2-bay group. The north-east range, north-east elevation, has vents at wallhead. The 3-bay group to the left has a slate roof, while the 2-bay group to the right is red pantile.

COVERED CATTLE COURTS

The covered cattle courts, which post-date the U-plan court, are fronted on the south-east by a cartshed granary and bothy.

The south-west elevation comprises 6 bays. 2-leaf double boarded doors occupy each of the bays to the left of centre. A window appears in the inner right bay, with a window and sliding boarded door in the penultimate right bay. The outer right bay is gabled, containing a window at ground level and in the gablehead.

The north-east elevation has a gabled bay to the outer left with a ground floor window. 2-leaf boarded double doors occupy each bay, except for a blinded door in the inner right bay.

The interior consists of 2 parallel covered cattle courts with steel beams and posts supporting a pitched roof. The south-east court has a concrete slab dividing it, with feeding passages and troughs. The north-west court is non-compartmentalised, featuring raised walkways, hay hecks, and fine joinery.

The south-east elevation of the cattle courts features a cartshed and granary with a single-storey bothy, spanning 13 bays. The construction is harl-pointed squared and snecked sandstone with droved ashlar dressings. A segmental-arched cart opening occupies the centre bay (the outer right bay of the single-storey bothy). Segmental-arched openings at ground level appear in 4 bays to the right of centre, each with 3-pane upper openings and vented lower openings at 1st floor above. Boarded doors stand in the penultimate and 11th bays to the right, with a 1st floor window above the penultimate bay. A 1st floor window appears in the outer bay to the right. A sliding boarded double door occupies the bay immediately to the left of centre. An adjacent split boarded door, flanked by windows, is accompanied by a boarded door to the outer left of the bothy. A brick wallhead stack is positioned to the left of the bothy centre. The roof is red pantile. The interior was not seen during the survey in 1995.