Skaife Hall  | OS Grid Ref: 416850,455550  | Site classified as: Garden:Site Of  | HPG Ref: 60185

Map Evidence

1854 OS
West House depicted (later Skaife Hall) adjacent to the West House Mill buildings, accessed from a drive behind the dwelling, no depiction of landscaping
1909 OS
Skaife Hall depicted with grounds and gardens, terrace, driveway. Plot no. 520, acreage 7.998
Others
An undated plan of West House Mill and buildings shows West House Villas with a small orchard a drive leading up to the houses with walkways in the pleasure gardens, clumps of trees and flower beds, a terraced area, and a fountain, a shelter belt of trees to the W hiding the adjacent mill buildings. (reproduced in D. Parsons 2014 The Book of the Washburn Valley)

Extract from Site Visit report

Access: None, negotiated with Yorkshire Water
Visibility: From footpath to the east and Hardisty Hill
Micro-climate: Sheltered by large number of mature trees
Boundaries: Substantial dressed stone wall surrounding site of former dwelling and pleasure grounds
Buildings: Modern sheds, no original buildings survive
Walkways etc: Two large stone gateposts on the site of the original entrance/drive.
Planting: Some large examples of conifers, beech, yew surrounding the original building platform
General condition: Overgrown
Recorder: MAH
Date: revisited 01/17

Other documentary evidence

Historical photographs can be found in:
Alred, D. 1997. Washburn Valley Yesterday, a pictorial record of life in a Dales Valley. Smith Settle, Otley
Alred, D. 2000. Washburn Valley Yesterday. Vol II. Smith Settle, Otley.
Parsons. D. 2014. The Book of the Washburn Valley. Halsgrove. Somerset.

Additional information

There is evidence in the surrounding landscape which incorporates Skaife Hall Farm, with the reservoirs feeding the mill and the mill race of an attempt to bring these features into a designed landscape.
The High Pond has a boat house and small landing stage.
Copper beeches have been planted originally to form a hedge along the bank of the Washburn and clumps of trees deliberately planted in the fields to the north east of the property surrounding the Skaife Hall Farm.

The web site for Scaife Hall Farm, (the farm runs a thriving B&B), contains a link to an informative article authored by Lynne Johnson describing the origins and development of the site which became Scaife Hall and it's subsequent disappearance.