Survey and Assessment

A critical initial step will be to survey the site, and determine the date of the buildings or farmstead, under consideration. Easily available sources, and inspection of the buildings themselves, can provide important information on the development of the group and the alterations of individual buildings. Historic Environment Records can provide information about listed buildings and any adjacent archaeological sites. Historic Ordnance Survey maps provide a quick and generally reliable aid to dating buildings approximately, though large scale maps from before the mid-19th century are relatively scarce. Examination of masonry (brick and stone) structures may reveal whether:

the building/farmstead of one date, or are there two or more clear phases
individual buildings been either lengthened or heightened

The development and phasing of individual ranges or buildings can also be helped by examining:

structural joints in masonry walls, whether vertical (the most easy to spot), horizontal (indicating a later heightening of the wall) or diagonal (typically in the gable end, and again indicating a heightening)
changes in masonry techniques or brickwork bonding
blocked openings, which typically relate to a re-planning of the interior
identifying inserted openings, as indicated by disturbance to the surrounding walling
empty mortice holes in internal beams and timber-framed structures, which can indicate either the reuse of timbers in new positions or the location of lost beams, upright studs for partitions and diagonal bracing

Successive layers of alteration can make the original and subsequent uses of a building hard to identify. A small number of farmsteads and buildings will require detailed investigation by a historic buildings specialist, and some will buildings will be on sites of archaeological importance with earthworks of moats, medieval settlement and field systems in the immediate vicinity. It is important to gain an initial understanding of the archaeological potential of the farmstead which will either inform and support the development of the scheme, or ensure that archaeological data is recorded before it is damaged or destroyed by the development.

Source and Origin	Application
Ordnance Survey Maps	Examination of these will allow the changing shape and scale of the farmstead to be examined from the First Edition surveys of the mid to late 19th century onwards. The most detailed 25-inch maps show individual buildings very clearly, including horse engine houses and other features.
Statutory Lists of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. Source: English Heritage.	Over 60,000 farmstead buildings, including houses, are now included on the national list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Over 95% of these are listed at grade II, the remainder being listed at the highest grades of I or II*.
Images of England. Source: English Heritage. www.imagesofengland.org.uk	Images of England aims to create a photographic record of England’s listed buildings at the turn of the millennium. It is not an up to date record of all currently listed buildings.
Tithe Maps. Source: National Archives, Kew, and county record offices. See Foot, for details and further reading.	These remarkably detailed maps were compiled in the later 1830s and 1840s. They show farmsteads, landholdings, occupiers and landowners. Particularly important at a basic level in showing plan form of farmsteads before the ‘High Farming’ period.

Survey and Assessment

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