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Local historyYou are in: North Yorkshire > History > Local history > Appeal to save a crumbling farmhouse  Cowside, Upper Wharfedale Appeal to save a crumbling farmhouseBy Adam Holmes In June 2007 the Landmark Trust launched an appeal to raise £600,000 to save a 17th century farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales... They've nearly reached the halfway mark, but they still need more money! This derelict farmhouse in a remote part of the Yorkshire Dales shows few clues of how it would have looked when it was built more than 300 years ago. There's no road to it, in fact you can't reach it by vehicle. There is no mains electricity and there's no running water. Despite this, an ambitious campaign to save the farmstead has been launched by the Landmark Trust, a national building preservation charity. Cowside, in Langstrothdale in Upper Wharfedale, has suffered from decades of neglect. It's stood empty for generations and is now in an extreme state of disrepair. Yet when it was built in the late seventeenth century, it was typical of many of the farmsteads owned by wealthy dales farmers and much of its original, well detailed, stonework and timber still remains.  Typical Dales farmhouse It's this stonework and timber which makes Cowside so special according to the Landmark Trust, which describes it as a "lost way of life". It says Cowside's isolated location means it's been untouched by modernisation, but its important historic features will be lost forever unless more than half a million pounds can be raised.
Peter Pearce, who is Director of the Landmark Trust said, "The Landmark Trust was created 40 years ago to save buildings just like Cowside. These humble buildings are as much part of our history as Britain's grander architecture. Cowside is evidence of a past way of life and a part of Yorkshire's history that we must all act to preserve." His comments are echoed by Caroline Stanford, a historian who works for the Trust. She says what makes Cowside special today is that "it is still so unspoilt and that it is in such a remote and beautiful part of the country." The Landmark Trust hopes to raise £600,000 to pay for the preservation of the building - so far the total stands at £257,000, 42% of the total project cost (May 2008). The restoration will need the traditional skills of local craftsmen to ensure the materials and techniques used will match those of the original builders. Help playing audio/video  Interior view of a room at Cowside Once restored, the Landmark Trust hopes to give the house and its outbuildings a new use as holiday accommodation. The charity says this kind of use will secure Cowside's future as the rental income will pay for its on-going maintenance and preserve its history. More details about Cowside and the Landmark Trust can be found at the Landmark Trust website.  Cawood Castle The Trust has already restored a number of other properties in North Yorkshire which it now runs as holiday accommodation. These include:
last updated: 13/05/2008 at 15:02 Have Your SayWhy should buildings like Cowside be preserved? Andrew Wall john danford Andrew Eagin Peter Cooke Jan Kitching Steve Lee Richard John Hobbs You are in: North Yorkshire > History > Local history > Appeal to save a crumbling farmhouse   |
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