Agricultural Buildings

Historic farmsteads and their buildings make a major contribution to the richly varied character of our countryside, and illustrate the long history of farming and settlement in the English landscape.

This selection guide offers an overview of the development of farmstead plans; of the main building types likely to be encountered; of the main phases of agricultural history in England since the Middle Ages; and of regional variation; and gives selection guidance to be used when assessing agricultural buildings for listing.

Earlier agricultural structures and their associated landscapes are treated in an archaeological selection guide covering Agriculture. Other agriculture-related buildings such as deer hunting structures are covered in the Garden and Park Structures selection guide and mills in the Industrial Buildings selection guide. Farmhouses are treated in the various Domestic selection guides, notably Domestic 1: Vernacular Houses and Domestic 3: Suburban and Country Houses.

This is one of a series of guides which set out some of our approaches to listing buildings. Covering twenty broad categories of building types, they including historical overviews and special considerations for listing, plus select bibliographies. They are primarily intended to develop understanding of listed buildings and structures, and to offer insight into listing decision making.