Farmsteads Character
Here you can find statements to help you understand the character of farmsteads in your area of interest. We hope the statements will be of use and interest to researchers, local authorities, land managers, farm owners, local communities and visitors. Historic farmsteads, comprising the farmhouse and working farm buildings, make a fundamental contribution to landscape character, local distinctiveness and a sense of place.
They do this through their varied forms, use of materials and the ways they relate to the surrounding landscape and settlement pattern. They are also assets which, through agricultural or new uses, can make an important contribution to the rural economy and communities.
How do the farmstead character statements work?
The Historic England Farmstead & Landscape Statements have been written by Jeremy Lake, working with others where acknowledged, in order to summarise evidence on farmsteads and buildings in their landscape and settlement context, as well as the historic character, significance and foresight issues for each area. An illustrated statement has been produced for almost all of England’s 159 National Character Areas (NCAs), since these provide a framework used for the delivery of agri-environment schemes, as well as local planning and land management.
Each Farmstead and Landscape Statement is supported by our advice on farm buildings, which provides links to the National Farmsteads Character Statement, national guidance on Farm Building Types and a fully-sourced summary in the regional Historic Farmsteads: Preliminary Character Statements.
This work also forms part of wider historic landscape characterisation research on historic landscapes, including the mapping of farmsteads in some parts of England.
We hope that the extensive and comprehensive nature of these statements will encourage comment and debate, and we are happy to receive feedback from readers on any errors, omissions, or points for further discussion and clarification. Please send comments to [email protected] by 31 Dec 2021.
Farmsteads character statements reports map
North East England
- NCA 1 North Northumberland Coastal Plain, Eastern Arable
- NCA 2 Northumberland Sandstone Hills, Upland and Upland Fringe
- NCA3 Cheviot Fringe, Upland and Upland Fringe
- NCA 4 Cheviots, Upland and Upland Fringe
- NCA 5 Border Moors and Forests, Upland and Upland Fringe
- NCA 10 North Pennines
- NCA 11 Tyne Gap and Hadrian’s Wall
- NCA 12 Mid Northumberland
- NCA 13 South East Northumberland Coastal Plain
- NCA 14 Tyne and Wear Lowlands
- NCA 15 Durham Magnesian Limestone Plateau
- NCA 16 Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe
- NCA 22 Pennine Dales Fringe
- NCA 23 Tees Lowlands
- NCA 25 North Yorkshire Moors and Cleveland Hills
North West England
- NCA 5 Border Moors and Forests
- NCA 6 Solway Basin
- NCA 7 West Cumbria Coastal Plain
- NCA 8 Cumbria High Fells
- NCA 9 Eden Valley
- NCA 10 North Pennines
- NCA 11 Tyne Gap and Hadrian’s Wall
- NCA 17 Orton Fells
- NCA 18 Howgill Fells
- NCA 19 South Cumbria Low Fells
- NCA 20 Morecambe Bay Limestones
- NCA 21 Yorkshire Dales
- NCA 31 Morecambe Coast and Lune Estuary
- NCA 32 Lancashire and Amounderness Plain
- NCA 33 Bowland Fringe and Pendle Hill
- NCA 34 Bowland Fells
- NCA 35 Lancashire Valleys
- NCA 36 Southern Pennines
- NCA 51 Dark Peak
- NCA53 South West Peak
- NCA 54 Manchester Pennine Fringe
- NCA 55 Manchester Conurbation
- NCA 56 Lancashire Coal Measures
- NCA 57 Sefton Coast
- NCA 58 Merseyside Conurbation
- NCA 59 Wirral
- NCA 60 Mersey Valley
- NCA 61 Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain
- NCA 62 Cheshire Sandstone Ridge
Yorkshire and the Humber
- NCA 10 North Pennines
- NCA 21 Yorkshire Dales
- NCA 22 Pennine Dales Fringe
- NCA 23 Tees Lowlands
- NCA 24 Vale of Mowbray
- NCA 25 North Yorkshire Moors and Cleveland Hills
- NCA 26 Vale of Pickering
- NCA 27 Yorkshire Wolds
- NCA 28 Vale of York
- NCA 29 Howardian Hills
- NCA 30 Southern Magnesian Limestone
- NCA 33 Bowland Fringe and Pendle Hill
- NCA 34 Bowland Fells
- NCA 35 Lancashire Valleys
- NCA 36 Southern Pennines
- NCA 37 Yorkshire Southern Pennine Fringe
- NCA 38 Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield
- NCA 39 Humberhead Levels
- NCA 40 Holderness
- NCA 41 Humber Estuary
- NCA 42 Lincolnshire Coast and Marshes
- NCA 43 Lincolnshire Wolds
- NCA 44 Central Lincolnshire Vale
- NCA 45 Northern Lincolnshire Edge with Coversands
- NCA 49 Sherwood
- NCA 50 Derbyshire Peak Fringe and Lower Derwent
- NCA 51 Dark Peak
East Midlands
- NCA 30 Southern Magnesian Limestone
- NCA 37 Yorkshire Southern Pennine Fringe
- NCA 38 Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield
- NCA 39 Humberhead Levels
- NCA 42 Lincolnshire Coast and Marshes
- NCA 43 Lincolnshire Wolds
- NCA 44 Central Lincolnshire Vale
- NCA 45 Northern Lincolnshire Edge
- NCA 46 The Fens
- NCA 47 Southern Lincolnshire Edge
- NCA 48 Trent and Belvoir Vales
- NCA 49 Sherwood
- NCA 50 Derbyshire Peak Fringe and Lower Derwent
- NCA 51 Dark Peak
- NCA 52 White Peak
- NCA 53 South West Peak
- NCA 54 Manchester Pennine Fringe
- NCA 64 Potteries and Churnet Valley
- NCA 68 Needwood and South Derbyshire Claylands
- NCA 69 Trent Valley Washlands
- NCA 70 Melbourne Parklands
- NCA 71 Leicestershire and South Derbyshire Coalfield
- NCA 72 Mease/Sence Lowlands
- NCA 73 Charnwood
- NCA 74 Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Wolds
- NCA 75 Kesteven Uplands
- NCA 88 Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands
- NCA 89 Northamptonshire Vales
- NCA 91 Yardley Whittlewood Ridge
- NCA 92 Rockingham Forest
- NCA 93 High Leicestershire
- NCA 94 Leicestershire Vales
- NCA 95 Northamptonshire Uplands
- NCA 96 Dunsmore and Feldon
- NCA 107 Cotswolds
West Midlands
- NCA 52 White Peak
- NCA 53 South West Peak
- NCA 61 Shropshire and Staffordshire Plain
- NCA 63 Oswestry Uplands
- NCA 64 Potteries and Churnet Valley
- NCA 65 Shropshire Hills
- NCA 66 Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau
- NCA 67 Cannock Chase and Cank Wood
- NCA 68 Needwood and South Derbyshire Claylands
- NCA 69 Trent Valley Washlands
- NCA 70 Melbourne Parklands
- NCA 72 Mease/Sence Lowlands
- NCA 94 Leicestershire Vales
- NCA 95 Northamptonshire Uplands
- NCA 96 Dunsmore and Feldon
- NCA 97 Arden
- NCA 98 Clun and North West Herefordshire Hills
- NCA 99 Black Mountains and Golden Valley
- NCA 100 Herefordshire Lowlands
- NCA 101 Herefordshire Plateau
- NCA 102 Teme Valley
- NCA 103 Malvern Hills
- NCA 104 South Herefordshire and Over Severn
- NCA 105 Forest of Dean and Lower Wye
- NCA 106 Severn and Avon Vales
- NCA 107 Cotswolds
East of England
- NCA 46 The Fens
- NCA 75 Kesteven Uplands
- NCA 76 North West Norfolk
- NCA 77 North Norfolk Coast
- NCA 78 Central North Norfolk
- NCA 79 North East Norfolk and Flegg
- NCA 80 The Broads
- NCA 81 Greater Thames Estuary
- NCA 82 Suffolk Coast and Heaths
- NCA 83 South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands
- NCA 84 Mid Norfolk
- NCA 85 The Brecks/ Breckland
- NCA 86 South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland
- NCA 87 East Anglian Chalk
- NCA 88 Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands
- NCA 89 Northamptonshire Vales
- NCA 90 Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge
- NCA 91 Yardley Whittlewood Ridge
- NCA 92 Rockingham Forest
- NCA 110 Chilterns
- NCA 111 Northern Thames Basin
- NCA 115 Thames Valley
South East England and London
- NCA 81 Greater Thames Estuary
- NCA 88 Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands
- NCA 90 Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge
- NCA 91 Yardley Whittlewood Ridge
- NCA 95 Northamptonshire Uplands
- NCA 107 Cotswolds
- NCA 108 Upper Thames Clay Vales
- NCA 109 Midvale Ridge
- NCA 110 Chilterns
- NCA 111 Northern Thames Basin
- NCA 112 Inner London
- NCA 113 North Kent Plain
- NCA 114 Thames Basin Lowlands
- NCA 115 Thames Valley
- NCA 116 Berkshire and Marlborough Downs
- NCA 119 North Downs
- NCA 120 Wealden Greensand
- NCA 121 Low Weald
- NCA 122 High Weald
- NCA 123 Romney Marshes
- NCA 124 Pevensey Levels
- NCA 125 South Downs
- NCA 126 South Coast Plain
- NCA 127 Isle of Wight
- NCA 128 South Hampshire Lowlands
- NCA 129 Thames Basin Heaths
- NCA 130 Hampshire Downs
- NCA 131 New Forest
- NCA 132 Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs
- NCA 134 Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase
- NCA 135 Dorset Heaths
South West England
- NCA 100 Herefordshire Lowlands
- NCA 103 Malvern Hills
- NCA 104 South Herefordshire and Over Severn
- NCA 105 Forest of Dean and Lower Wye
- NCA 106 Severn and Avon Vales
- NCA 107 Cotswolds
- NCA 108 Upper Thames Clay Vales
- NCA 109 Midvale Ridge
- NCA 116 Berkshire and Marlborough Downs
- NCA 117 Avon Vales
- NCA 118 Bristol, Avon Valleys and Ridges
- NCA 130 Hampshire Downs
- NCA 131 New Forest
- NCA 132 Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs
- NCA 133 Blackmoor Vale and Vale of Wardour
- NCA 134 Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase
- NCA 135 Dorset Heaths
- NCA 136 South Purbeck
- NCA 137 Isle of Portland
- NCA 138 Weymouth Lowlands
- NCA 139 Marshwood and Powerstock Vales
- NCA 140 Yeovil Scarplands
- NCA 141 Mendip Hills
- NCA 142 Somerset Levels and Moors
- NCA 143 Mid Somerset Hills
- NCA 144 Quantock Hills
- NCA 145 Exmoor
- NCA 146 Vale of Taunton and Quantock Fringes
- NCA 147 Blackdowns
- NCA 148 Devon Redlands
- NCA 149 The Culm
- NCA 150 Dartmoor
- NCA 151 South Devon
- NCA 152 Cornish Killas
- NCA 153 Bodmin Moor
- NCA 154 Hensbarrow
- NCA 155 Carnmenellis
- NCA 156 West Penwith
- NCA 157 The Lizard
- NCA 158 Isles of Scilly
There is no report for NCA 159, Lundy.
