Natural England

Bastle conservation work just the start of plans for Alston farm

Once upon a time a Northumbrian’s home was his bastle; those “one up, one down” thick-walled miniature fortresses that were built to keep the Border Reivers out, the humans above and the animals below. But hundreds of years after those turbulent times most of the bastles that were dotted along the Border landscape have fallen into ruin.

Now a long-abandoned house on Castle Nook Farm near Alston is being conserved as part of a much bigger plan to tell visitors the fascinating story of the stunning North Pennines landscape and the people who have lived there down the centuries.

Farm owners John and Elaine Edgar have signed a Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement with Natural England, which means a whole range of environmental measures will be taken so that ground nesting birds such as lapwing and curlew along with the rare black grouse and other wildlife will thrive. Other measures in the agreement – including the consolidation of the bastle – will ensure the lives of generations of Northumbrians will never be forgotten.

The house – known to architectural historians as Whitlow III - began as a defensive bastle in the early 1600s; its original doorway – complete with drawbar tunnel – survives. Peter Ryder, consultant buildings archaeologist on the project, says the building can be read like a book, each change a chapter in the rich history of the North Pennines and the fortunes of its people. He said: ”Around 1700 the family felt it ‘safe to come downstairs to live’ – the ground floor was converted to domestic accommodation with a fireplace from that period and new mullioned windows were inserted in the front wall. In the early 19th Century, when lead mining brought relative prosperity to the area, the house was modernised with new sash windows and a barn at the north end perhaps being added at this time. Then around 1900, as was the case with many houses in the lead mining areas, the family moved out of Whitlow III, and it was converted to a byre.”

Tom Gledhill, Natural England’s archaeologist said: “The bastle had been suffering gradual deterioration over the previous 20 years, but a whole section of one gable had a sudden, dramatic collapse just last winter. Even so, none of the important architectural features of the bastle has been lost, and a team of specialist masons are now consolidating the walls and making them safe.”

Farmers John and Elaine Edgar have exciting plans for the bastle, with the intention of opening it to the public and establishing an exhibition in the adjacent barn which interprets the bastle and the history of Alston Moor. Mrs Edgar said: “It’s an amazing landscape of many different historical layers, but I’ve always felt that although people already enjoy coming to have a look, it would be a much more valuable experience for them if they could know how it has evolved down the centuries.

“Under the HLS agreement we already have permission to allow schools to visit the farm, and having worked in education I can see the enormous potential of the site to teachers and lifelong learners as an educational base to deliver and enhance the school curriculum.”

There are other, even older structures which the Edgars are hopeful can become part of the ‘visitor experience’. English Heritage is working with Natural England to unlock the archaeological secrets at Castle Nook Farm as part of a major research project in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Stewart Ainsworth – who will head the project – and who is also a regular on Channel 4’s Time Team – said: “In addition to the bastle, Castle Nook Farm contains one of the best-kept archaeological secrets in the North of England. The quality of the defensive remains of the Roman fort, which are the best in the Roman Empire, outshines all the forts along Hadrian’s Wall, and because it is off the beaten track it has escaped the attentions of robbers, antiquarians, tourists and digging archaeologists alike. We have only just started survey work and already have been able to identify that there may have been a prehistoric fort there before the Romans arrived, and when they left they may have gone in a hurry as the defences are unfinished! We are also able to see the remains of a Roman village and bath-house and there is also clear evidence that the fort continued to be lived in through to the medieval and later periods.”

Tom Gledhill of Natural England said: “Castle Nook Farm contains archaeological sites spanning more than two and a half thousand years of history, and it is just off the Pennine Way, and easily accessible to walkers. If the Edgars’ ideas come to fruition, one day visitors may be able to visit the Roman fort, learn about the bastle, see exhibitions on the history of the area and even enjoy a cup of tea in a café.”

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Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas.www.naturalengland.org.uk

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF NATURAL ENGLAND BY GNN NORTH EAST, TEL: 0191 202 3607; FAX: 0191 202 3599; EMAIL: elfrieda.waren@gnn.gsi.gov.uk