Gibside Estate, Cut Thorn Farm

Cut Thorn Farm was once the Home Farm of the Gibside Estate. It became the Home Farm in the 1790s when John Bowes improved it with new buildings, including a cattle fold, stables and cow house. A rental agreement for the farm in 1710 appears to be the earliest firm evidence for the property, along with a reference of 1706. The buildings are shown on an estate map of 1767. By 1803 a new farmhouse and other buildings had been added. The farm cottages are the oldest survivng components of the farm, probably shown on the map of 1767. These cottages were recorded by the Traditional Architecture Group in 1996 prior to alterations and sale of the site to the National Trust in 1997. The block of farm cottages were found to be single-storey, of roughly dressed stone with sleeping areas in the roofspace. The southern, residential half of the building appeared to be earlier, with the northern half for the accomodation of animals added later. Thatch may have preceded the red pantile roofing. There was an elaborate kitchen range in one room. A cattle fold or byre partially survived to the west of the farm.