Welcome to Old Spout Barn; our newly renovated rural getaway holiday cottage that was originally part of Spout Farm and has been farmed by my family since the 1920’s. My great-grandparents started working the land as tenant farmers, caring for the land and their stock in this beautiful part of South Cumbria, under the Howgill Fells. Later going on to purchase Spout Farm and raising their family there.
Farming in the 1920’s was vastly different than today with no electricity or running water – it was real down-to-earth farming. The ploughing and reaping were carried out using a horse & cart as there were no tractors in use on the farm at that time. The blacksmith would visit to shoe the horse, and the ‘mowdy man’ was another regular caller who got paid for each mole he trapped.
It was back breaking work which involved working from sun rise until sun set, with the only time off taken on a Sunday to attend church with their neighbours from the hamlet of Dowbiggin. Farmers helped each other out gathering the ‘crop’ to ensure there was enough food stored for the long winter months.
My great-grandparents were prominently sheep farmers with a few cows and pigs. Old Spout Barn housed the cows in winter, and the downstairs bedroom was the pig sty! My grandfather, his three brothers and two sisters were raised in the house opposite Old Spout Barn, which was complete with hams hanging from the beams and pans that swung from a black hook over the fireplace. They all had chores to complete in the morning before they had breakfast, starting with milking the cows, gathering the eggs and washing the clothes. Once these were completed, they walked across the fields to Sedbergh to attend the national school, whatever the weather!
Farming in the 1920’s was vastly different than today with no electricity or running water – it was real down-to-earth farming … It was back breaking work which involved working from sun rise until sun set, with the only time off taken on a Sunday to attend church with their neighbours from the hamlet of Dowbiggin.
Saturdays and the school holidays gave them more time to spend on the farm helping their parents to care for their animals. There was never a dull moment with new life arriving all the time. There was always lambs, piglets or kittens to keep the children’s interest.
Bedtime was early as there was always a dawn start the following day, and there was little entertainment in the evening. The girls did a lot of knitting and their hats and scarves came in very useful on the frosty morning walks around the farm.
In the 1970’s, my grandfather purchased some of the land that belonged to Spout Farm to cultivate for his own family. This purchase included Old Spout Barn. The land is still worked by my Dad and Uncle and in the spring months you can see their sheep and lambs in the field next to the converted barn.
The journey of Old Spout Barn becoming a holiday let began back in 2015. Myself and my partner Kevin, luckily a builder, were given the fantastic opportunity to purchase and renovate the barn. So began our journey to obtain the relevant planning permissions to turn the barn into the beautiful holiday cottage that it is today. It might have taken 5 years, and we have added our 2 sons to the family since then, but it has all been worth it. This brings the 5th generation of our family to Old Spout Barn.
Kevin has been able to use his expertise to project manage the renovation from the initial stage of drawing up the plans, to those important finishing touches such as the exposed beams. Local craftsmen have been used to ensure the work has been completed to the highest possible quality, while keeping as many original features as possible to complement the history of the barn and the surrounding area. He did decide against the age-old outside lavatory though! See the finished renovations >
