Low Wall Remains of Bankfoot

Image: © Ian Dodds Taken: 15 Nov 2021

Bankfoot was described by the OS in the late 1850s as being an unoccupied small farm with a farmhouse in 'ruinous repair'. By the time of the second OS map - surveyed in the 1890s - it is shown as a ruin. It doesn't seem to have been around for long as it isn't present on the always meticulous Roy's Military Map of the 1750s. For some reason it is fenced off (not in itself particularly unusual) with access possible by a metal gate (highly unusual). The building looks to have been comprised of three rooms, the largest being in the middle, and the smallest at the camera end. Old maps appear to show that there was a small fenced off area to the North of the property and a far larger fenced off area to the South. I say 'appear to show' as today's maps appear to show fences or walls still being present around most of the Southern area mentioned above too. However there is no trace of any kind of boundary - there are just a good number of old trees standing, some of which can be seen on the right of the picture, that perfectly match the old perimeter. So I am now unsure as to whether the OS have ever used lines on maps to denote lines of trees, and indeed whether they ever still do, or if they are there by mistake - the current ones that is, as it is unlikely that we shall ever know if there was a fence along the trees 150 years ago.

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