| Description | Farmstead consisted of a 17th century farmhouse (a grade II listed building) and planned complex of 19th century farm buildings.
Farmhouse of 17th century date, but enlarged in the early 19th century. Constructed of coursed squared sandstone (front part) and handmade red brick (rear part), with a two span stone slate roof. Double pile plan by addition of rear range. Of two storeys and two bays plinth; two 5 light windows at ground floor with a doorway between them and two 4 light windows above, all with recessed chamfered mullions; large inserted window at right hand end of ground floor. Gables finished with handmade brick, with gable chimney of the same. Right hand gable has a blocked narrow opening at ground floor, a high attached screen wall, and behind this at first floor level, a blocked 2 light window and a 4 pane sash. Rear addition of less interest. Chimney rising in centre of valley of roofs. Interior altered.
(Text edited from English Heritage's National Heritage List of England, 1988)
In 2008 Elizabeth Chamberlin (WYAAS) wrote a consultation response to planning application no. 08/03398/LI/S (internal and external alterations to barn and attached double garage to farmhouse) which included information collected by the Royal Commission. No date is given for the Royal Commission's site visit to Royds Green Farm, but if it was conducted as part of the initial work for the West Yorkshire Rural Houses survey publication it was likely to have been made by Colum Giles in either the late 1970s or early/mid 1980s. No Royal Commission report for the site is on file in the HER (as of Jan 2014). Below is the extracted statement from WYAAS's 2008 consultation response with gives details of the Royal Commission's site notes:
''Royds Green Farm is centred on a stone built farmhouse of early 17th century date. Evidence collected by the Royal Commission indicates that the surviving 17th century part of the house was probably constructed as the parlour wing to an earlier timber framed hall (now demolished), which was once attached to the west of the current building. The current west wing of the house is brick built and of probable 19th century date. The ground floor north elevation has disturbed masonry perhaps indicating the location of an oven. The area also contains evidence of a plinth which helps in the phasing of the 17th century structure. The complex has some parallels to the site at Rothwell Manor and the historic fabric of the Royds Green farmhouse contains important information relating to the phasing and development of the structure. The farmhouse is a grade II listed building.
The associated farm complex at Royds Green appears to have been a planned range of farm buildings and contains barns, cart sheds (the cart entries of some of which have been blocked) and stables and dates from between 1851 and 1894. Many planned and model farm were being constructed in the middle years of the 19th century, with particular interest in the science of farmstead design, however in the final years of the century there was a decline in the numbers of planned and model farms being constructed. The information relating to historic farm practices in these planned farmsteads is increasingly disappearing due to the large numbers being converted to domestic accommodation''
(Text edited from Chamberlin, 2008) |