Cally Hall Estate
Cally Hall Farm sits on the Yorkshire Pennines, high above the Calder valley. To the south spectacular views take in the Pennine Way.
The farmhouse is a Grade II listen building and is a good example of a ‘laithe house’. Laithe houses are a form of building traditional in many upland areas, including the Pennines. A laithe house is a long building, which consists of three elements in line: at one end there is space for the human dwellers; at the opposite end is accommodation for animals (generally only used during the winter months); in the middle, separating the two, is a barn, which would be used for storing fodder and keeping simple machinery such as carts. All three elements have been incorporated at Cally Hall to make a single dwelling. A laithe house is usually oriented so that one of its narrow ends - a ‘shoulder’ - faces the prevailing wind.Cally Hall farmhouse is surrounded by its own land, consisting entirely of upland hay meadows. Upland hay meadows, once plentiful, have declined rapidly over the years to the point where there are less than 2000 acres left in the whole of the UK, and much of the wildlife they support is considered threatened. The meadows that make up Cally Hall Farm are particularly species rich and are a resource for many birds, including nesting twite.
The owners, Sally and Phill Featherstone, are working closely with Natural England to conserve their part of this wonderful area. They are writing an account of their experiences in the book Grass, which is being written by Phill and illustrated by Sally’s drawings and photographs.
PEOPLE
FOOD
ANIMALS
a laithe house
We will gradually add to this part of the site a portfolio of photographs and drawings.
If you would like to be kept up to date with developments at Cally Hall by email
