PEGSWOOD NORTH FARM.

   Architectural historian, Nicholas Pevsner, describes North Farm as; ‘A mid 19^th century brick building with rusticated quoins and cut sandstone dressings. Later building’s are behind and a 19^th century engine house is at the rear.’

   On July 17 1939, there was a sale of Ashington and Pegswood Estates. North Farm was at that time tenanted by Hector Brewis. There was a detached cottage along with the farmhouse and both cottage and farmhouse were supplied with mains water and electricity.

   A further two cottages were to the west of the farm, Cookswell Cottages, and they were constructed of brick and slate. The easternmost of the two is described as having a sitting room, kitchen and pantry with one bedroom. An earth closet was outside as well as a coalhouse. The westernmost cottage was slightly larger having a living room, pantry and two bedrooms but appears to lack a kitchen. Outside was the usual earth closet and coalhouse. While both of the cottages were on the mains water supply there was no mention of them having electricity.

   The acreage of North Farm was given as 334.815 in total and was leased at a yearly rent of £398. A small amount of this land, 14.740 acres, was occupied by John towers at a yearly rent of £14 with a further pasture of 4.740 acres rented by Pegswood Co-Op at a rent of £12. There was also a small plantation of 1.034 acres near the farm.

   George Angus was one of the early tenants of North Farm and he was also tenant of Whitefield Farm as well. However, by at least 1841 the Sharp family had taken over North Farm and the farm was to stay in their hands until c1890s prompting the Vicar of Bothal to note in the parish registers that; ‘The Sharp’s of Pegswood remain, but lately the male line has died out. The family being represented by the Anguses of Whitfield and Climbing Tree and the Joblings of Butterwell.’

   The Nixon Brothers, John and Robert, who were at North Farm as well as the Hirst Farm, Ashington, from 1891, took the place of the Sharp family. In 1925 the Nixon’s were still at North Farm but had left by 1929 when North farm became tenanted by Hector Brewis and it was in this family that the farm remained until c1980s. In the present day, the farmhouse is up for sale while its buildings are being ‘regenerated’ not as farm buildings but in the name of progress, into apartments. North Farm has gone the way of many more farms in the area that no longer exist in the form that they were created for. Becoming instead part of the ‘much needed’ housing increasingly occupied by dormitory dwellers and ‘yuppie classes’ who normally bring nothing into communities.

RETURN.