Summary

This is quite a rare structure, only 5 or 6 others survive int he Lake District. It is a covered sheep dir with a series of pens and gates.

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Description

This is quite a rare structure, only 5 or 6 others survive int he Lake District. It is a covered sheep dir with a series of pens and gates. Built in 1898 and finished in 1900, is is still used for dippint SHeep dips wre made compulsory by 1906, so this would have been quite an innovative building. Mr Bowes; grandfather built it after he had seen one in Patterdale, however, he did not use it till some years after it was build.

WALLS - Exposed rnadom coursed cobbles (volcanic stone, snadstone and slate), mortared quoins. The wall slopes up to the N. Outside at the edge of the wall are loose staones, herdwicks have a habit of 'clamping', jumping onto each other and can suffocate, the gaps between these stones provide space and air pockets for the sheep. Square ventilation opening in S gable end, round hole in N.

ROOF - Gabled, slate covered laid in diminishing course, capped by a sandstone ridge. Plain close verge, slate thins on both gable end purlins. 2 tie beam trusses, 3 purlins, rafters resting on purlins. All pine and machine sawn, torched between rafters. The S gable end is open with a truss, an unusual feature. Within the truss the apex space has been walled in.

INTERIOR

DOOR - Double doors, N end where the sheep leave once dipped. 4 plank door x 2, each with three arched gaps in the top half of door. Wooden loft latches and pivot hinges, wooden lintel inside, slate outside. Each door has a little trap door (top hung) in the bottom half attached to a cord which when pulled, the trap door opens out and up to allow the sheep through. THe cord can be pulled from half way accross the room.

1 hatch either sdie of the double doors which open for ventilation, stone cills. 1 niche either side of the entrance at the S end, both plastered and white washed inside, E one has a stone lintel and cill, the W one has a slate lintel and stone cill.

The floor slopes up to the N.

Fromt he S end where the sheep enter, to the W, the floor is cobbled up to about a metre N, the concreted (inscribed '1900'). Next to this is a pit (nearly a metre deep) in which someone stands to guide sheep along in the next pit, this is just ove a metre deep, has a concrete floor and is bordered by two large Welsh slate slabs on either side. This is filled with the dipping fluid, it is aobut half a metre wide and two metres long. To the E of this is another but shallow pit about 40cm deep with a drain, this continues to the E wall.

At the end of the dippin tup, either side of it are two partitons, and one central partition coming from the double doors, theses are to guide the sheep to the exit.

There is a branch with a flat piece of wood nailed onto it, like an oar, used to dunk and guide the sheep in the tub.

The pen to the W of the dipping house has dry stone walls up to about 12 feet high in places and can hold about 100 sheep.

THe gates are worth noting:

1) Pintel hings, modern wooden gate, sheep enter from here.
2) Recent wooden plank gate without a hinge but held in place by 4 stones jutting out of the wall.
3) Attached to the E wall, small 5 bar gate, metal bolt and latch, pivot hinge at the bottom, reverse pintel at the top.
4) Wooden 5 barn gate with 1 wooden cross bar, 2 pivot hinges, the top hinge fits into a hole in a stone jutting out from the wall.
5) Attached to the bank barn, large slate stoops, as 4) but larger. The top of the hinge is carved into a point which rests in a hole in a stone and acts as a top hinge.

(NT VBS Surveyor; 1995)

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