Field Barns

Swaledale, the area we passed through the last day or so, is noted for its isolated stone barns.

There are many, many of them.

They were part and parcel of the traditional farming methods of the area which saw grazing land enclosed between stone walls, the cattle kept in the barns between October and May, fed on hay stored in the upper roof space of the barn. Cows were milked where they stood and their manure was spread on the surrounding fields.

Typically, a field barn would house four or five cows, hence a farmer with a large herd would need plenty of barns to keep them in.

Today they are largely redundant and some of them are being converted into tourist accommodation.

But I am thinking quilts....

 

Posted with Blogsy