Stables and cartshed, Bransdale Mill, Bransdale

Summary

Stone-built outbuilding, on the W bank of the Hodge Beck, part of the Bransdale Mill complex.

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Monument Types

Description

From NT VBS Yorkshire 1022 Building 2:
"31373 is a long range, aligned NW-SE roughly parallel to the course of the Hodge Beck, and is situated on the W bank opposite the main mill buildings. On its NE side it opens onto a stone causeway, now overgrown.
Three principal builds can be distinugished. The oldest portion probably dates from 18th century, and originally consisted of three compartments of stabling and boxes with lofts. In 1817 William Strickland added a box, cartshed and lofts, of the same depth as the original building, at its SE end; a kneeler at the SE gable is inscribed "WS | Miller | 1817". Also at some date prior to 1820 a pair of pigsties were added at the NW end. Moon's 1820 plan shows the building at this stage of development. Subsequently the pigsties were demolished (two new pigsties were added to 30791) the 18th century portion was deepened slightly to the SW and a new box was added to this new depth on the site of the pigsties. A stone in the new NW gable thus created is inscribed "W.S. | 18--" (the two final digits are illegible). By the time of the OS 6" 1854 a lean-to (now partially demolished) had been added against the NE wall of the 1817 addition; a portion of walling and the timber wall-plate remain. Otherwise the building remains as it was in 1854, although its condition is very poor throughout: loft floors have collapsed, the roof is badly holed in numerous places, vegetation has taken hold of the NE wall and the external stair, and the SE gable are in danger of collapse. The cartshed remains in use for hay storage, in spite of the dilapidated gable, but the remainder of the building appears disused.
Construction of the 18th century portion is of coursed, roughly squared sandstone rubble, with a projecting square eaves course and herringbone tooled rectangular lintels. The 1817 addition is of superior squared coursed sandstone with a mixture of herringbone and irregular tooling; it has herringbone tooled rectangular lintels, a projecting square eaves course, and sandstone gable copings and square notched kneelers at both gables. The alteration and addtion to the 18th century portion usues coursed, roughly squared stone for the rear (SW) wall - possibly reusing 18th century stone - but finer squared coursed masonry with a mixture of herringbone and horizontal tooling for the front wall and gable of the added box. There is a projecting square eaves course; sandstone copings to the NW gable are nearly all missing, but wedge-shaped kneelers remain. The NE corner is slightly chamfered with a roughly coved head to facilitate access to the paved yard on the W side of the beck.
The roof to all three phases is pantiled on close-set laths with a sandstone ridge; it is severely holed throughout. A single roof-truss in the cartshed has notched principals and bolted scissor struts, and supports two sets of tusk-tenoned purlins.
Doorways all have rebated reveals for flush fitting doors (now missing) with the exception of the cartshed entrance (also doorless, with a decayed timber lintel) and the loft entrance over it - both in the SE gable. A length of squared coursed masonry projecting from this gable to the L of the cartshed entrance survives from the external stair access to the loft shown on Moon's plan. A further external stair still stands at the NW gable (though much overgrown) giving access to the loft over the added box there.
Lofts to the 1817 addition are more susbtantial than those in the NW half of the building and have two louvred vents each; those in the SW wall are damaged. There is a similar ground-level vent or window to the cartshed in its SW wall. Two iron ties with plain cruciform spreaders run through from NE to SW. In addition two buttresses have at some stage been added against the SW wall where it borders on marshy ground: originally in the form of quarter circles, they are now collapsed.
Owing to the dangerous state of the building it was not inspected internally. No internal features of any significance were noted [2]-[8].

Listed building, Grade II [1].

Site visit 02/02/2000:
The inscribed stone could not be identified. No roof now survives, with only the N gable standing above eaves height. Timberwork survives only in the S unit, where some first floor joists remain in poor condition, and the louvres described remain in situ. The E wall of the cartshed is extensively collapsed and the building clearly continues to deteriorated with no maintenance evident. There is a large sledge in the S unit (probably that formerly in NTSMR 31370) which is deteriorating [9].

Additional references [10]-[14].

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