Description

SE 70 NE BELTON NORTH CROFT

7/24 Sailgates Farmhouse and
adjoining stable/granary
15.7.87 ranges

- II

Farmhouse and former adjoining stable/granary ranges now forming a single dwelling. Late C18 with late C20 alterations. Red-brown brick (in Flemish bond to house). Late C20 replacement windows and doors. Pantile roofs.

Plan:
West facing range with central lobby-entry plan farmhouse to south, with farm buildings, originally including granary and stabling, extending northwards. Modern single storey extension to rear (east) not of interest.

Exterior:
Former farmhouse is 2-storey 3-bay with widened window openings. Dentilled brick eaves cornice, stone-coped gables and central ridge stack. Lower 2-storey, 2-window section adjoining to left with C20 inserted windows at first floor, dentilled brick eaves cornice. End stack to left now removed. Single-storey and attic stable/granary to left has pair of segmental arched doorways. Former inserted doorway to right now a window. Inserted C20 windows immediately below dentilled brick eaves cornice. Large brick arched opening in north gable wall inserted late 20th century.

Interior:
House retains tight winding stair rising from lobby entrance. There is a chamfered beam exposed in both downstairs rooms of the original farmhouse. The beams in the lower building to the north are late 20th century insertions.

History:
Sailgates (also known Highfield Farm, Mill Top Farm, Highfields, North Field Farm and Northcroft House) was an early coloniser of Belton open field, a relic of medieval farming practice of dividing large open fields into long individually owned or tenanted strips. The linear, north to south arrangement of the farm range was a result of the north south orientation of the strips in this part of the field. The buildings were renovated into a single dwelling in the late C20.

Assessment:
Sailgates is a good example of the local persistence of the central lobby-entry plan farmhouse. It is also of particular historical interest as part of the development the openfields of the Isle of Axholme, a nationally rare surviving medieval style field system.

Listing NGR: SE7781606897

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26364550

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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