Building record MHG51190 - Farmsteading, Birchfield Steadings

Three buildings survive in various forms of disrepair within the farmstead; a square steading with central courtyard, a single storey farmhouse and a later house which now stands roofless and in a very ruinous condition (detailed in MHG52552).
The steading, presumably late 18th - early 19th century in date, originally comprised of the north and west ranges forming an L-shape in plan. The south and east ranges were added between the dates of the 1st and 2nd edition 6" OS maps <1> <2>, between 1881 and 1905, with the central courtyard accessed via a large opening in the southern range. The western range still retains much of its tiled roof with the north and south ranges being roofed with corrugated iron sheeting. The east range was depicted as roofed on the 6" OS map c.1986 <3> but is now unroofed making it the most vulnerable of the four ranges. The 1st and 2nd edition 6" OS maps depict a roofed building immediately to the north of the steading and presumably this functioned as the farmhouse. By the 25" OS map c.1967 <4> this building is no longer depicted.
Located some 180 metres to the NE of the steading is a small crofthouse - see MHG52553 - which may have functioned as the steading's main dwelling after the farmhouse that was located immediately to the north of the steading fell out of use. A third dwelling house, which may have replaced the crofthouse, was later constructed and this now lies ruinous - see MHG52552 <5>.
Planning consent has been granted to renovate the steading buildings to form two houses, renovate the single-storey crofthouse and to demolish the more recent roofless dwelling <6>.