Napoleonic farm buildings at Bluegates, Carringtons Road (EHER 80455)

The courtyard of buildings represents a typical Napoleonic Era farm probably built just after 1805 and before the 1843 Tithe Map was made. The buildings recorded in this historic building survey form a courtyard with the Barn at the south perimeter. To the west is the open and closed shelter. To the east is a Hay Store. There are also late 20th century Pig Pens, Pig Sties and a concrete Grain Store.

The courtyard of buildings represents a typical Napoleonic Era farm probably built just after 1805 and before the 1843 Tithe Map was made. Barn The design, materials and fabrication techniques of the seven bay Barn and the remaining frame in the Stable are typical of the early 19th century. The barn has been clad with a succession of weather boards of which only a few are the original elm boards protected by the later structures. Mapping indicates there was a midstrey porch on the central bay which was removed in the mid 20th century. There were also lean-to structures right across the north elevation of which only a late 20th century tin roofed shelter remains. The midstrey has been blocked in with a mid 20th century machined softwood frame. The roof was originally thatched and now has dilapidated corrugated galvanised iron sheets on a lightweight frame, but the original elm roof has been retained inside. Mapping indicates that between 1844 and 1875 the brick walls forming the perimeter of a Victorian High Farm were built. There are two definite phases but they are built of the same sized standard Victorian bricks. It would appear that the Stable was rebuilt in brick and the eastern perimeter wall erected at the same time. They are built to the same standard, the same height and using many thousands of bats set in thick white lime mortar joints. In the mid 20th century, probably the 1930s, the roof of the Open Shelter was built replacing a smaller unit shown on the 1874 OS map. At the same time the original elm roof of the Stable was partially dismantled, new trusses and softwood rafters added and the roof battened its whole length. The battens strongly suggest the roof was tiled in grey slates which were subsequently changed in the late 20th century for corrugated asbestos sheets. A concrete Grain Store was then built, replacing an earlier building between 1923 and 1960. Between 1960 and 1985 the Workshop was put up. It is a kit building and may have been brought from elsewhere as it has mid 20th century design features. Like all the other buildings it got converted into pig pens in the 1990’s. The Pig Sties ranging along the south of the Barn were built and the Barn, Stable and Hay Store were converted into pig pens. Two small corrugated iron roof stores were created to store farming materials and spent tires. In recent years the site has been used to stable horses and stores large quantities of bales. The Workshop has two horse stalls in it (one now used for large pig) and a tack stall. The rest is full of bales. The Barn, Open Shelter, Stable and Hay Store were all used to store bales and part of the farmyard was used as a corral for horses. <1>