Home Farm, Menston

Image: © Stephen Craven Taken: 26 Sep 2020

These buildings appear to have been converted to private housing rather than being a working farm. The reason for its abandonment may be connected with the former High Royds mental hospital nearby, as explained in the following text found online (source - http://www.highroydshospital.com/insight/farming-the-land-g-w-bitton/ ): "The site of High Royds in the rich Yorkshire countryside of Lower Wharfedale, and the importance given from the very earliest days to the concept of a self-sufficient community, meant that farming and the needs of the land were a central feature of life in the institution. In total there were four separate farms – Thorpe, Norcroft, Odda and Home Farm – with over 600 acres of land. Local men were employed to do much of the farm labour, and were paid an extra supplement for working alongside the patients. Tasks undertaken by patients were usually fetching and carrying churns of milk and sacks of grain, as well as helping to look after the animals. ... The pigs and milk were at Holme Farm [sic], rearing stock at Norcroft, older stock at Odda and dried off cows at Thorpe until they came into milk again."

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