Description
Dating from the early-19th century, Haugh is an agricultural settlement comprising a farmhouse and an associated steading. These buildings are close to the roadside of the A89 Glasgow to Newbridge road between Newbridge and Broxburn.
Haugh farmhouse is a detached, two-storey, gabled, irregular-plan farmhouse with pedimented dormers breaking the roof eaves and a gableted entrance porch. Dating from the early-19th century, it is constructed in coursed and snecked tooled stone to the entrance elevation and a mixture of coursed, snecked and stugged rubble and tooled stone elsewhere. There are tooled window margins, some with Tudor-style hoodmoulds above, and long and short quoins.
The entrance (northeast) elevation of Haugh farmhouse has a gable to the left facing the driveway. It has a tripartite window with stone mullions at ground floor level and two rectangular window openings above. The stone porch has a moulded blank square plaque above a rectangular window opening and a timber-panelled entrance door.
The side (northwest) elevation of the farmhouse has a canted bay window and a link section to the west that is lower in height and which adjoins a late-19th century section of the house. The side (southeast) elevation has three pedimented dormer windows breaking the roof eaves and a projecting section of corbel table between the ground and first floor level. The rear (southwest) elevation has a mono-pitched rear entrance.
Haugh farmhouse has a mixture of window designs. These are predominantly two-pane and 12-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case frames. The remaining windows are smaller with multi-pane glazing. There is a rooflight in the mono-pitched rear entrance and a glazed roof lantern lighting the main stairwell underneath. The roof is slated with predominantly straight skews, moulded skewputts and there are some crowstepped gables on the southwest elevation. The farmhouse has ridge and end chimneystacks, some have corbelling.
The interior of the farmhouse, seen in 2021, has some 19th century features, such as fire surrounds, deep timber skirting, timber window shutters and moulded cornicing in the principal rooms. The staircase has iron balusters and a curved, timber handrail. At the first floor landing, the staircase divides into two to access the front and back sections of the house. The western part of the house is stylistically plainer than the remainder of the house, suggesting this may have been service accommodation. This part has its own internal staircase and is close to the rear entrance door and attached walled garden.
Haugh steading is a large, early-19th century agricultural steading to the northwest of Haugh farmhouse. The steading is laid out in a roughly E-shaped, courtyard plan and is constructed in snecked and stugged rubble stone, some of which is harl-pointed. The steading buildings are predominantly single-storey but with some taller ranges. These include the former granary with its hayloft window and the stable block with former accommodation space above. There is a detached building fronting the main road which relates to the former stackyard and is enclosed by rubble walls.
The main entrance into the courtyard is from the south and it is flanked by arched openings with chamfered reveals, the one on the left has been infilled to form a window opening and is now part of a dwelling (Haugh Steading Cottage). Within the courtyard, the stable block is on the western side and includes large, arched openings with timber stable doors. There are square window openings above with stone cills and lintels and partial timber window frames with multi-pane glazing. The eastern side of the courtyard comprises a single-storey range with a cartshed opening and other window and door openings in various sizes, all with tooled cills and lintels. There is a pend leading from the courtyard into the northeastern part of the steading.
The northern section of the steading comprises a rectangular-plan range running east to west and a number of single-storey, rectangular-plan buildings, one with a chimneystack and roof ventilator. The eastern range has a cartshed opening and a bipartite window with a stone mullion. This section is partially roofless with some exposed roof timbers and a corrugated iron canopy covers the southeastern corner of the steading (this later canopy is excluded from the listing).
The windows are a mixture of timber and iron frames in a variety of glazing patterns. The roofs are covered variously in red pantiles and slates and the gables are crowstepped throughout with moulded skewputts. The roof of the former stackyard building is covered in corrugated iron. There are metal rainwater goods throughout.
The interior of the steading was partially seen in 2021. The ranges surrounding the courtyard largely remain in use, these include stables with plain rubble-walled compartments and the former threshing barn which connects internally with the stables and former worker's accommodation above. The interior of Haugh Steading Cottage was not seen.
The farmhouse and steading are accessed by separate driveways. Rubble walls with rounded coping and plain, squared gatepiers separate the farmhouse from the steading.
There is a paddock directly north of the farmhouse and a large walled kitchen walled garden to the south with rubble walls and rounded coping. The ground in and around the steading is partially concreted and partially cobbled.
In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: corrugated iron shed to west of steading, byre and shed range to south of steading, three-bay building to east of steading, 20th century canopy over southeast corner of steading and garage to southwest of farmhouse.
Historical development
Haugh is an agricultural settlement dating from the 18th century. Haugh farm was part of the tenanted farm holdings of the Newliston estate owned by the Hog family of Newliston. Haugh is labelled on Elphinstone's map of the Lothians of 1744 however the design and form of Haugh farmhouse and steading today indicates an early-19th century. The detached farmhouse and roughly E-shaped, courtyard plan form of the steading is indicative of farm design of the late-18th and early-19th century Improvement period.
Haugh is first shown in detail on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1855 and comprises a farmhouse, a large steading complex and outbuildings close to the roadside. The farmhouse is shown on this map as an irregular-plan building with a walled garden immediately south of the house. The area immediately surrounding the house is planted with trees, visually separating the steading from the farmhouse. There are also separate entrance driveways to both the farmhouse and steading.
The Ordnance Survey Name Book, written between 1855 and 1859, describes Haugh as a large, two-storey farmhouse with extensive offices, garden, small lawn and a large arable farm attached with a threshing machine (OS1/34/34/9). In the 1850s the farm was owned by James Hog of Newliston and had been occupied by James Hunter the tenant farmer of "Newliston Haugh" since around 1828 (Edinburgh Evening Courant).
The 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1895 shows the footprint of both the farmhouse and steading remain largely the same as that shown on the 1st Edition map. By 1895 the rear (west) elevation of the farmhouse had been extended slightly to increase the service accommodation. A detached, rectangular-plan byre was added south of the steading sometime between 1855 and 1895 and a rectangular-plan range was added to the western section of the steading complex. A section of the enclosed, eastern part of the steading appears to have been partially covered or roofed and a small, detached byre to the northwest was removed around this time.
Sometime between 1895 and 1913 a rectangular-plan building was added east of the steading on the opposite side of the track running north to south between the steading and farmhouse (as shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1913). A large, detached, agricultural shed was built sometime in the mid-20th century (shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1963) and a brick-built, double garage was built to the west of the farmhouse sometime after 1963 (these structures are excluded from the listing).
The farmhouse is occupied, and the central and western sections of the steading complex are currently used as stabling for horses and storage (2021). The eastern sections of the steading are largely disused and some of the buildings are only partially roofed. Aerial photographs taken in 1981 show the whole steading as roofed, dating the loss of roof fabric and some of the interiors in the eastern sections of the steading to sometime after this date (Canmore).
Statement of Special Interest
Haugh farmhouse and steading meet the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:
- The historic setting of the farmhouse and steading has been largely retained and together they are a good surviving historic group of early-19th century, Improvement period agricultural and domestic buildings.
- Haugh farmhouse is a large, well-detailed house designed in a restrained Tudor-style with a large walled garden attached.
- Haugh steading is largely unaltered in terms of its plan form and retains its distinctive architectural features showing its original agricultural function, such as its cartshed openings, crowstepped gables and cobbled ground.
- The farmhouse and steading represent an important period in agricultural history in Scotland.
In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: corrugated iron shed to west of steading, byre and shed range to south of steading, three-bay building to east of steading, 20th century canopy over southeast corner of steading and garage to southwest of farmhouse.
Architectural interest:
Design
Haugh farmhouse is a well-detailed, early-19th century, stone-constructed, irregular-plan, two-storey farmhouse thought to date from around 1820. The size and scale of the property, designed with a family area, service accommodation and attached walled garden, with a separate entrance way indicates it was a modest farmhouse but of some status in the area. It has some good stonework detailing, in particular its Tudor hoodmoulds, gableted entrance porch, canted bay window and pedimented dormer windows. The rear (west) elevation is stylistically plainer and some sections are lower in height than the entrance (northeast) elevation because it was designed as service accommodation. The architect of Haugh farmhouse is unknown.
The Statistical Account of Scotland of 1794 describes the farmhouses in Kirkliston parish as commodious and elegant, and of superior design compared with country manses in the locality (p.71), indicating the prominence and wealth of farming in this area. The footprint of Haugh farmhouse remains largely as it was shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1855. There are some minimal later additions and alterations to the former service area at the western extent of the house as well as some later infill at the rear of the house, but overall the main living area of the farmhouse remains largely as it was built.
The early-19th century interior plan form is still largely retained by the survival of the central hallway and staircase, and its large principal rooms at the front of the property. The main staircase splits at first floor level to access the front and back sections of the house. The former servants' accommodation at the rear connects to the rest of the house and contains a service stair and stylistically plainer interiors. The interior of the main living area of the property has some early-19th century features which are typical for farmhouses of the date and adds to the interest of the building. These features include moulded cornicing, deep skirting and timber window shutters within well-proportioned rooms.
The farmhouse is detached from the steading and the principal elevation is crucially turned away from the workings of the farm. This reflects the social status of a farmer in the early-19th century, with the farmer having a level of detachment from the work of the farm itself. The scale of Haugh farmhouse indicates the prosperity of the farm at the time of construction.
The lack of substantial later alteration, especially to the building's principal elevation, contributes to its special interest which largely retains its early-19th century form and character.
Haugh steading is a good surviving example of an Improvement period steading complex. Its snecked and harl-pointed rubble wall construction is contrasted by its tooled openings, crowstepped gables and moulded skewputts.
The New Statistical Account of 1845 mentions that farm steadings lately erected in the parish were built according to the most up-to-date specifications and "embracing every possible accommodation for the most complete management of the land" (p.143). The arrangement of Haugh steading, in close proximity but detached from the farmhouse, follows the Improvement farm courtyard steading pattern of this period and is a good, representative example of a large arable farm. The steading incorporates elements such as stables, barns, byres and stackyard, as well as farm workers' accommodation, all arranged around a compact court for efficiency.
The steading has largely retained its early-19th century plan form and the surviving fabric continues to demonstrate its former use, including partially cobbled ground, ventilation slits, roof ventilators. The parts of the steading that were accessed by large farm vehicles, carriages and machinery are particularly distinctive, largely identified by tooled, arched openings and cartshed openings. Some of these arched openings have been infilled to form windows (such as at Haugh Steading Cottage), others remain in use as stables complete with timber doors.
The stable range (western side of the central courtyard) is taller in height and includes former farm worker's accommodation above. The long, rectangular-plan range attached to the stables was likely a threshing barn because it is oriented north to south and has large openings, one with a large, sliding door. The range running east to west was likely associated with the granary and includes a gable end with a hayloft opening in it. The stackyard to the north is separated from the main steading but remains in close proximity to both the threshing barn and the granary range. The central portion of the steading was likely used as a straw barn because it was ideally placed to move straw easily to the byres housing animals (Stephens and Burn, 1861, p.6).
There has been some loss of fabric to some of the interiors, particularly the eastern extent of the steading, some of which is now roofless. However, those sections still in use as stabling remain roofed and, importantly, a significant amount of the exterior fabric survives. Overall, the steading retains a significant amount of early-19th century fabric and the Improvement period plan-form is clearly visible, contributing to the building's authenticity and historic character.
Setting
Haugh is a substantial agricultural settlement in a prominent roadside position of the A89 road between Newbridge and Broxburn, about 10 miles west of the centre of Edinburgh. The farmhouse and steading remain surrounded by large areas of farmland and the visually distinctive Almond Viaduct (listed at category A, LB7428) is prominent in the landscape to the south of the farm.
In this period, steadings were typically built close to but separate from the farmhouse. The buildings at Haugh are of interest in listing terms because they are a largely intact example of an Improvement period farm which retains its plan form, early-19th century character and historic setting. The historic and functional relationship of the farmhouse and steading, as well as the wider farm buildings, can still be seen and they aid our understanding of the operation and size of Haugh farm in the 19th century when it operated as an arable farm under ownership of the Newliston estate.
The immediate setting of Haugh farmhouse and steading largely remains the same as that shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1855. The footprint of the farmhouse has been extended slightly to increase the service accommodation and there have been some additions and alterations to the steading, however overall these changes are minor and not unusual for a site that has remained in use as a farm until the present day. Furthermore, these changes do not adversely affect the setting.
Haugh farm is a prominent feature of the landscape, particularly when viewed from the road to the east and west. Its historic position along the turnpike road from Glasgow to Edinburgh, opposite the Newliston turnpike (toll gate), is of further interest and indicates the prominence of this farm with its roadside location and good transport links. The largely unaltered setting is of special interest in listing terms.
Historic interest:
Age and rarity
The late-18th and early-19th century was a period of significant improvement in farming practices across Scotland as small-scale subsistence farming gave way to the creation of larger, commercial farming practices. This radical change in farming, known as the Improvement or Agricultural Improvement period, saw innovations in land drainage, use of lime as a fertiliser, introduction of new crops and crop rotation, improved understanding of animal husbandry and increased length of farm tenancies.
As a period of significant improvement in farming practices across Scotland, many farmhouses and associated agricultural buildings were constructed in this period. Improvement period farms often included the complete rebuilding of older steadings, which may have been the case with Haugh as historic maps indicate a settlement has existed here since at least the mid-18th century.
All buildings erected before 1840 which are of notable quality and survive predominantly in their original form have a strong case for consideration for listing. While farmhouses and steadings are not rare building types, those associated with the introduction of early and improving farming practice (from roughly the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries), which demonstrate quality of design and construction and which remain to a greater or lesser degree in their original form may have interest in listing terms. Haugh farmhouse and steading are of a prolific building type, however they are good quality, representative examples for their date and their early-19th century plan form, historic character and setting remain largely intact.
Social historical interest
Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.
Farmhouses and steadings are common buildings types in Scotland, and they all have some social historical interest. Traditional agricultural buildings are an important historical record of Scotland's agricultural past. The farmhouse and steading at Haugh are a good survival of a style and form that is typical of farms of this date in Scotland. The survival of the farm, including its footprint and quality of design, is part of the area's agricultural and social history, particularly of the early-19th century Improvement period.
There were once around 30 farms operating in Kirkliston parish and the survival of early-19th century farmhouses and steadings directly illustrates the area's agricultural and social history (New Statistical Account, p.140).
Association with people or events of national importance
There is no association with a person or event of national importance.
Other Information
In 1884 the Newliston No.29 shale mine opened. Located on land immediately west of Haugh farm, this mine worked the Dunnet Shale seam (Scottish Shale). The 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1895 shows a mineral railway, sidings and related mining structures. The shale mine closed in 1937 and the land was returned to agriculture.