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West Midlands Farmsteads & Landscapes Project

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West Midlands Farmsteads & Landscapes Project WEST MIDLANDS FARMSTEADS & LANDSCAPES PROJECT Regional Statement Contents Introduction 3 L-plan (house attached) Plans 34 Farmsteads Mapping Methodology 4 Parallel and Row Plans 35 National Character Areas in the West Midlands 5 Smallholdings and Smallholding Landscapes 36 National Character Area Summaries 6 The Farmhouse 37 Section 1 Section 4 Historical Development 7 Farmstead Buildings 40 The processes that underpinned the development of This explains how the functions of farmsteads are farmsteads and their buildings in the West Midlands reflected in the range of building types found on farmsteads Section 2 Barns 41 Landscape and Settlement Context 9 Cartsheds 44 This explains how farmsteads relate to the landscapes Cattle Housing 45 around them Covered Yards 48 Section 3 Dairies 49 Traditional Farmstead Types 14 Dovecotes 50 This explains how the functions of farmsteads are Granaries 51 reflected in a variety of scales and plan forms Hay barns 52 Introducing the Farmstead Types 15 Pigsties 53 Farmstead Scale and Density in the Landscape 17 Poultry 53 Farmsteads and 20th Century Change 19 Stables 54 Farmstead Date and Landscape 20 Hop Industry 55 Farmstead Plan Types – detailed descriptions 22 Cider houses 57 Loose Courtyard Plans 23 Outlying Barns and Complexes 58 Regular Courtyard Plans 24 L-shaped Courtyard Plans with additional Section 5 buildings to the Yard 29 Materials and Detail 60 Dispersed Plans 30 Section 6 Linear Plans 33 Further Reading 66 Work by English Heritage and its partners on historic farmsteads and farmbuildings can be accessed on the HELM website - www.helm.org.uk/farmbuildings. In 2006 English Heritage and the Countryside Agency published a policy statement for traditional farm buildings, Living Buildings in a Living Landscape: Finding a Future for Traditional Farm Buildings. This policy statement followed research that examined the effectiveness of policy at a national and local level and the drivers for change stressed the need to understand how and why historic farmsteads and their buildings are changing, and the importance of finding new uses that conserves their character and contribution to the local scene. It established that the evidence base for historic farmsteads in Historic Environment Records is weak, and almost exclusively confined to individual listed buildings. The statement recommended that ‘the starting point for future policy must be an understanding of the character, condition and sensitivity to change of farm buildings and the relationship of farm steadings to the wider landscape. Character-based frameworks, which develop an understanding of the resource within its broadest possible context, should provide the context for future decision making’. It was accompanied by Preliminary Regional Character Statements, including a fully-referenced document for the West Midlands, and guidance that promoted high standards in the conversion of traditional farm buildings to new uses. Work conducted since then has piloted tools for land management and planning. This document has been written by Jeremy Lake of English Heritage’s Characterisation Team with assistance from Bob Edwards of Forum Heritage Services. All photographs are by English Heritage and Forum Heritage Services unless otherwise acknowledged. The regional distribution maps are by Paul Brindley of the University of Sheffield, based upon OS Survey data © Crown Copyright and Database Right 2010. This Regional Statement forms part of the West Midlands Farmsteads and Landscapes Project (see www.english-heritage. org.uk/wmidlandsfarmsteads). Further guidance on the historic character and significance of farmsteads can be found in the Farmsteads Character Statements for the National Character Areas, which summarises their historical development, landscape andQuick settlement reference context, the key guide. farmstead and building types, and use of materials. Core elements of the brand The central element of the Warwickshire County Council brand is the ‘Bear and ragged staff’ logo. As illustrated this is in Pantone 356 green or black or white-out from a solid colour. PMS 356 Green Black This is always supported by the Green header band which runs across the top of the front page of documents. Warwickshire County Council When used for externally facing publicity material the band features the words: ‘Warwickshire County Council’. On occasion, for internal publications only, the band may feature the name of the Strategic Directorate, if appropriate. The band should never contain any other wording. Working for Warwickshire Strapline The other compulsory design element to the brand is the Council's strapline "Working for Warwickshire". The height of strapline must match the height of the WCC logo and it must be centred in the space between the centrally placed WCC logo and the right hand edge of the page (as shown below), see the front cover of this document for an example. The strapline, like the WCC Logo, is in Black, Pantone 356 Green or White-out. However the strapline can appear as solid or a tint of Pantone 356 within the inside pages of a publication. Typefaces and Colour Pantone 356 Green. Shown here in CMYK, The brands key typefaces are Helvetica Neue and Arial. RGB and Websafe versions. Helvetica Neue Light Arial C - 71.25% ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ M - 0% abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Pantone 356 Y - 75% K - 20.25% Helvetica Neue Bold Arial Black ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Web #007336 abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz R - 0% G - 133% B - 63% Corporate Identity 2006 Historic character statement: farmsteads in the West Midlands Introduction Historic farmsteads and their buildings are an evolved, the result being the loss of buildings, the integral part of the rural landscape and how it has addition of new buildings, total replacement and, changed over centuries, with different scales and sometimes, total loss. patterns of fields, the siting of woodland and trees The West Midlands Farmsteads and Landscape that supplied fuel and building materials, quarries Project (see below) has mapped the character of and other industrial sites and also the patterns of farmsteads across the region, and this Regional roads, tracks and paths that gave access to and Farmsteads Character Statement brings together around them. A farmstead is the homestead of a available source material, general observation and farm where the farmhouse and some or all of the the results of Historic Farmsteads Mapping. This is working farm buildings are located, some farms based on the comparison of modern maps with 2nd having field barns or outfarms sited away from the edition OS County Series mapping (c 1890–1900), main steading. The character of farmsteads has close to the end of the final period of development been shaped by their development as centres for the of traditional farmsteads and the general use of production of food from the surrounding farmland, vernacular materials. the result being an immense range in their type, scale, form and use of materials. They have always This guidance outlines the typical features of farmsteads and their buildings across the West Midlands region, as well as their rarity and significance. It is designed to be used alongside the Area Farmstead Character Statements which deepen this guidance and help the reader identify the key characteristics of farmsteads in their landscape context for farmsteads in the the 26 National Character Areas that fall within or astride the West Midlands. These statements form part of the West Midlands Farmsteads and Landscapes Project (see www.english- heritage.org.uk/wmidlandsfarmsteads). It is a collaborative project, led by English Heritage in partnership with the region’s county and metropolitan councils and with the support of Advantage West Midlands. The Project has: 1. Mapped and described the locations and characteristics of over 22, 000 historic farmsteads, how they have changed over time and how they relate to the landscape. 2. Described the present use of historic farmsteads and their role in the economy of the West Midlands. 3. Developed a set of planning tools to inform spatial planning, land management and economic development The other key products are: • The West Midlands Farmsteads and Landscapes Project: Summary Report, which summarises the results of the whole project and sets out policy and land use implications, and recommendations and next steps for further work. • Historic Farmstead Characterisation Reports for each county and the Central Conurbation which present a detailed analysis of the mapping of farmsteads in relationship to landscape character and type, and which are stored on the local authority Historic Environment Record. • A Planning Tools Report. • A Farmstead Use Report, which summarises the types and patterns of use of farmsteads. 3 West Midlands Regional Statement Farmsteads Mapping Methodology Farmsteads Mapping is a rapid and cost-effective The key attributes recorded are: method of recording the patterns of historic character and change, and understanding how • farmstead name (modern and historic name if all farmsteads – not just those that are listed or different), recorded – relate to the inherited character of the • plan type, landscapes around them. The methodology (see www.english-heritage.org.uk/characterisation for • the date of the farmstead based on that of the further details) has been piloted in the South East, oldest standing building (utilising
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