Monument record MDO47113 - Whitepit Farm, Shillingstone

Whitepit Farm, formerly the model farm buildings for the detached Eastbrook Farm across the road to the south-east, are mostly arranged around three sides of a central yard in a U-shaped plan. They originally comprised three long, attached ranges, those to the west and east being of two storeys with a hayloft to the upper floor; most of the north range was demolished in the 20th century. To the south is a detached range, probably a former dairy, and incorporates the original boundary wall that defined the south side of the yard. Separate from the courtyard group is a detached cartshed. The main construction materials used were local red brick laid in Flemish bond with some contrasting blue brick, under slate-clad roofs. Whitepit Farm is a late-19th century small estate farm with a later range of the early-20th century. It was part of the Portman estate until 1921. These building, but not the detached Eastbrook Farmhouse, were assessed for listing in 2012, but failed to meet the required criteria.

Whitepit Farm, formerly known as Eastbrook Farm, was constructed sometime between 1887 when the first edition Ordnance Survey map was published and 1901 when it is first depicted on an OS map. The applicant considers that the farm is attributable to Lord Portman, who was a major agricultural reformer in the 19th century, promoting model farms as a means of increasing agricultural production. The first Viscount Portman, however, died in 1888. It is, therefore, more likely that his eldest son, William Henry, who succeeded as second Viscount Portman was responsible for building Eastbrook Farm. In Kelly’s Directory of Dorsetshire of 1895 the land in the parish of Shillingstone is described as ‘chiefly pasture, with some wheat, barley and roots’.

The farm was originally part of the Portman Estate but was sold to the county council in May 1921. The sale particulars describe the farm buildings as being detached from the farmhouse, which was situated on the opposite side of the road. At the time, the farm was listed as comprising a milk house with furnace, cart stabling with standing for twelve, two loose boxes, chaff house and loft over, cowstalls for eighteen, ten, ten and twelve, three calving houses, calf house, three pig styes (sic), mixing house, root house, hay house, a large granary and engine house, and a seven bay cart and wagon shed. The buildings are well built, functional structures developed by the Portman Estate, with spacious and well ventilated accommodation mostly for cattle and large overlofts for the storage of feed, all rationally arranged around a central yard. When built, the farm comprised three attached long ranges, but the most of the north range has since been demolished and a large, late-20th century agricultural shed has been erected in its stead. A detached range has also been added to the south side of the yard, parallel with the road. The cart and wagon shed described in the sales particulars is separate from the courtyard buildings and is located to the south-west.

MATERIALS: constructed of local red brick laid in Flemish bond with some contrasting blue brick, under slate-clad roofs.

PLAN: the buildings are mostly arranged around three sides of a central yard in a U-shaped plan. They originally comprised three long, attached ranges, those to the west and east being of two storeys with a hayloft to the upper floor; most of the north range was demolished in the 20th century. To the south is a detached range, probably a former dairy, and incorporates the original boundary wall that defined the south side of the yard. Separate from the courtyard group is a detached cartshed.

EXTERIOR: the inner, courtyard elevations of the west and east ranges have a brick plinth and decorative banding in contrasting blue brick; the latter also employed to the rear elevations. The bays are of slightly varying width and are defined by pilasters, between which are set the windows and doorways within segmental-arched openings. The placement of the openings indicates that the animals were tethered along much of the length of these ranges. The windows are metal framed although those to the rear (east) elevation of the east range have timber-framed under concrete lintels. Most of the windows have an internal timber, horizontal-sliding ventilation shutter. There are taking-in doors to bay six of the courtyard elevation of the west range and bays six and ten of the east range. The west elevation of the west range also has taking-in doors to two of its bays. All have gablets over the upper doorways. To the roadside (south) return of the west range is a flight of brick steps providing access to the upper floor; above is a projecting timber for a hoist. Only the east end of the single-storey north range is extant, abutting the north end of the east range, and its surviving three bays carry evidence for some later rebuilding and repairs. It has three wide openings onto the yard with brick piers between each of the openings. The detached range on the south side of the yard is also single storey and is of five bays. It is built in a matching design to the west and east ranges, with pilasters defining the bays within which are the openings. There are two doorways to the central bays and the left-hand bay appears to have also previously contained a door which has been replaced with a window. The other two bays have wooden half windows with external sliding ventilation shutters beneath, also of timber. The only openings to the roadside (south) elevation are doorways at either end, while a course of header bricks along the length of the range marks the top of the former boundary wall. Separate from, and to the south-west of, the courtyard group is a seven-bay cart shed, also of red brick with a slate roof. It is rectangular on plan with open bays to its north elevation where the roof is supported on timber uprights.

INTERIOR: the west and east ranges retain a number of historic fittings including wooden partitions, kick boards, ledged and braced doors, and the remains of several mangers. Each range is laid out with loose boxes and/or fodder rooms to the south end, though the west range has a similar arrangement at its north end, but most of the interior was formerly stalls along the main axis with a fodder passage parallel to the stalls. The upper floor of the west range is accessed by external steps as well as an internal wall-mounted wooden ladder towards the north end of the building. The first part of the west range’s upper floor is fitted with wooden grain bins. There are a few instances of such an arrangement where a granary was situated over cowsheds or stables, but generally this was frowned upon because the damp and smells from the animals below could taint the grain. This area is partitioned off from the rest of the first floor with timber boards. Beyond this is a hayloft. In the east range the hayloft is accessed from a wooden ladder. The roofs to these ranges are of machine-sawn timbers and comprise collared principals with metal king struts, detached queen struts and single rows of trenched purlins. The surviving fragment of the north range has a brick floor and drainage channel; its roof is of common-rafter construction. The detached range on the south side of the yard has undergone some internal alteration and sub-division. There have been alterations to the roof which has diminished principal rafters with cleats supporting the purlins; it also retains the timbers that previously supported a cowl or ventilator. The cart shed has a roof of principal rafters with tie beams and trenched purlins; along the north side it is also reinforced with struts.

Whitepit Farm, a late-19th century model farm in Shillingstone, is not designated for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest: although the farm buildings are clearly planned and express a measure of architectural presence, they are not of sufficiently high architectural quality or innovative form to be of special interest in national terms for a farm complex of this date;

Date: the first model farms were built from the 18th century to 1830s, whereas Whitepit Farm post-dates 1840, having been built in the late 19th century, when the greater number of such buildings means that more discrimination is required;

Planning: the standardised courtyard plan shows little in the way of innovation over and above what was initially developed for agricultural practice in the late 18th century and one of the three principal ranges has mostly been demolished;

Historic interest: although the association with the Portman family of Bryanston affords the farm a degree of interest this is not sufficiently strong to make up for the lack planning interest and intactness. <1>

<1> English Heritage, English Heritage Listing File, Non-list case number 1409338, assessed in 2012 (Scheduling record). SDO17502.

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1588423 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 14 2023 12:12PM