Progress Threatens Welsh Farm Buildings
Set in stone: Timeless beauty at risk
Josephine Roberts
June 2009
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Originally intended as a hay storage facility, this open-side stone barn today does little more than offer a bit of shelter to grazing livestock.
Josephine Roberts
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Made of stone and slate, traditional Welsh agricultural buildings were built to last, and last they have, withstanding centuries of wet and windy weather.
However, it’s not the weather that is killing them off, but we humans, with our increasing desire for large, modern buildings. These stone relics are as much a part of our rural history as the tractors of yesteryear, but sadly, these beautiful buildings are often neglected or altered beyond all recognition.
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The shed as a British institution
Perhaps the shed is a quintessentially British institution. Here in the U.K., just about every outbuilding we use is referred to as a shed, whether it’s the hay shed, the cow shed, the tool shed or the garden shed. Sheds, barns, outbuildings – call them what you like – are an important part of our farming history and rural landscape.
Whilst old farmhouses have often been altered to suit modern living, outbuildings are frequently found in their original state, and they can tell us far more about the history of the farm than the actual house itself. An old-fashioned Welsh hill farm will have a cow shed with ties and dividers, housing perhaps half a dozen cows at the most. Somewhere in the farmyard there will usually be a pigsty, a hay shed and a stable with room for two horses. All of these buildings will have low doorways (reflecting the small stature of both the livestock and the people of yesteryear), and they are almost always made of stone and covered with a slate roof.
In some regions, especially where slate is commonly quarried, dividers and mangers might be made of slate, but more often than not, these (like the hay racks) will be made from wood. Some of these charming, and “easy on the eye” stone farm buildings are whitewashed with limewash, and some are left as bare stone. In areas without natural stone, one might see brick farm buildings, but here in the hills our sheds are rustic, fashioned out of organic local materials, which gives them a character all their own, plus the strength to survive for hundreds of years.
An endangered species
The typical hill-farm format – cottage with outbuildings near or adjoining the house – was once a common sight. Today, however, with people wanting more spacious living accommodation, many adjoining outbuildings have been converted to form part of the house. The traditional picture-book farmyard is an endangered species, and I feel the need to photograph as many of those that remain as possible.
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