Heckhill Steading, Heck, Lochmaben, Dumfries and Galloway

Description

Description:

A row of single-storey, farmstead buildings on a curved plan, fronting the roadside through the small hamlet of Heck near Lochmaben. The row is of mid-18th century origin with later alterations. There are cottages at either end, with two steading buildings between, all built from mixed sandstone rubble. The roofs are predominantly slated, one section of the steading range having a later cement tile covering.

The three-bay (former) cottage to the south end is built on protruding boulder footings. It has a central door flanked by small single windows. The ashlar margins are droved and beveled, with the initials J.K.H. and a date of 1749 inscribed above the door. The internal roof structure (seen 2019) has timber pegged and hand-sawn roof joists of 18th or early 19th century character. The interior has been partly modified to form a store. The south gable has been rebuilt with red brick.

Ryecroft is a three-bay cottage adjoining the north end of the row. It has a central door flanked by single windows and red sandstone dressings. Three courses of red sandstone at the eaves indicate the building has been heightened slightly. The windows are timber sash and case with a four-pane glazing pattern. The cottage is in separate ownership and the interior has not been seen (2019).

The two steading ranges at the centre of the row have blank walls fronting the roadside, with doorways and openings to the rear. The interior has remnants of timber stalls.

Legal exclusions

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: addition to rear and detached buildings to south.

An outshot to the rear elevation of the steading block is mostly cinder-block construction with one fragment of rubble wall. To the south of the steading row is the remains of a detached cottage (previously included in the listing). This building has been substantially altered and is now roofless (2019). The extent of the alterations and loss of historic fabric reduces the building's authenticity and completeness to such an extent that it no longer meets the criteria for listing. To the south of the roofless cottage is a plain, mid-20th century farmhouse. These buildings are not of special interest and are excluded from the listing.

Statement of Interest

Statement of Special Interest:

The Heckhill steading row is a good representative example of 18th and 19th century domestic and farm buildings, representing a former way of life and methods of farming within an historic settlement that retains its relationship with road. The curving plan form, with cottages at either end, following the line of the road, and the survival of a pegged timber roof structure within the former south cottage (dated 1749), contribute to the special interest.

Historical development

Heck is one of four settlements (Greenhill, Heck, Hightae and Smallholm) known locally as the 'Royal Four Towns of Lochmaben' to the south of Lochmaben Castle. Roy's military map of around 1750 shows Heck as a small, irregular cluster of buildings with a square enclosure near the centre. The Ordnance Survey Namebook (1856) notes that Heck is irregularly built with several good houses occupied by working people. The population was around 70 at that time. Three names are noted in connection with ownership of Heckhill, including William Harkness (Ordnance Survey Namebook, 1856).

The row is depicted on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed, 1856) occupying the same footprint as at present (2019). The north cottage (Ryecroft) may have been raised in height during the earlier 19th century to provide a larger living space. The south cottage and the two steading ranges at the centre of the row continue to be used for agricultural purposes (2019).

Architectural interest

Design

The design and plan form of this steading row reflects 18th and early 19th century lowland farming practice in Scotland. Surviving details such as the inscribed lintel, bevelled margins, pegged timber roof structure and the boulder footings to the south cottage add to the special interest of the building.

The linear, slightly curved plan form arrangement suggests that this steading row was built to conform to an existing settlement and road pattern. The cottages face the road and the two central steading ranges have their backs to the road. This orientation separates the domestic and working aspects of the farm. The arrangement of two steading blocks between two cottages is also distinctive and adds to the special interest.

Timber pegged joists within the former cottage roof structure are hand-sawn and of 18th or early 19th century character. The survival of the pegged roof structure is unusual and adds to the special interest. Internal alterations more generally reflect changes in farming practice over a 250 year period and do not detract from the interest in listing terms.

Setting

The steading row occupies a prominent location on the roadside at the centre of the hamlet. The 19th century settlement pattern as shown on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map largely survives at Heck, and the steading row contributes to the historic character of the settlement as a whole. Two cottages on the opposite side of the road have been demolished, and the large stone barn (Barn Hill) has been converted into a private house.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

The steading row at Heckhill (including the south cottage dated 1749 and Ryecroft to the north) is likely to be among the earliest surviving buildings in Heck. The relationship to the roadside, its front and back-facing plan form and evidence of vernacular building techniques, including the pegged roof timbers and boulder footings, are evidence of its relative age.

While farm cottages, steadings and outbuildings are not rare building types in general, those that survive as a group with much of their original features and historic fabric intact are increasingly rare. The Heckhill steading row is one of a number of single storey, stone-built cottages and farm buildings in the area but is set apart by its early date and level of surviving fabric. The single-storey dwellings fronting the roadside in nearby Hightae and Greenhill are later (Buildings of Scotland, p.339) and do not exhibit the combination of characteristics evident at Heckhill, for example (see 3.1.1 Design). While not a rare building type, the steading row is a good representative example of 18th and 19th century farm buildings which survives largely in its 19th century form.

Social historical interest

The single storey steading row at Heckhill is indicative of small-scale farming practice during the era of agricultural improvement in Scotland (roughly 1750 to 1850).

Lowland farms were increasingly enclosed and re-organised during this period, often reflecting scientific advancements in agricultural practice. Centralised farms replaced the irregular scattered arrangement of 'farm towns' which often consisted of up to a dozen joint tenants. In their place, a single farmer or landowner would employ labourers housed in simple accommodation near the farm. This resulted in stone-built cottages for farmers and farm labourers within existing settlement patterns. The Heckhill steading row is of interest in this context, representing a former way of life and methods of farming within an historic settlement.

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2019. Previously listed as 'Heck Village, Heck Hill Farm steading row to roadside including cottages'.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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