MEM23660 - Halse Farmstead, Winsford (Building)

A farmstead is shown on the Tithe Map for Winsford. It consists of a small group of buildings enclosing a yard space at c.SS 8960 3425, with a farmhouse at SS 8959 3428 and smaller outbuildings at c. SS 8962 3427, SS 8958 3430 and SS 8958 3425. These buildings, and several surrounding enclosures, are labelled 754 and the accompanying Apportionment describes these as "House…Barton etc", owned by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland and occupied by John Norman. [1] By the time the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map was published, the farmstead has been subject to some small alterations. The two buildings at SS 8958 3430 and SS 8958 3425 had been removed and some small outbuildings had been constructed at c. SS 8961 3428, SS 8957 3430 and SS 8957 3429. The other small building at SS 8962 3427 may have been demolished to make way for, or incorporated into what appears to be a small barn with horse engine house on its northern elevation. It also appears that a new building had replaced the northern end of the yard of buildings at the southern end of the site, at SS 8960 3426. This arrangement is repeated on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map. Both maps label the site as "Halse". [2,3] Since the 2nd Edition map was surveyed, all but the northernmost building in the southern yard have apparently been demolished to make way for a modern barn and the building at SS 8961 3428 has also been demolished. The remainder all still appear to be extant, with the site having been extended to the north and south. [4] The farmstead was sold by the Winsford Estate in the Fairfield Room in Winsford in December 1926. The new tenants (the Bakers) occupied the property on Lady Day 1929, moving from Batsom Farm, Withypool. There was only a track from Halse Lane to the farm (no made up road), with no telephone or electricity but the house did benefit from a bathroom and flush toilet. The farm's first tractor was purchased in 1942 and the tenants purchased the farm in 1944. A telephone was installed in the summer of 1947 after the farm provided the poles to do so. The house was parted into two in 1950 when the son of the farmer married. The farm gained mains electricity in 1956. It was sold by the Bakers in 1981.