LOCKBANK FARM

SEDBERGH

THE FARM

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

VISITORS

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

Lockbank Farm is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and is typical of the Orton Fells limestone character area with steep sloping inbye land rising to rounded grassy fell tops.

GEOLOGY

Carboniferous limestone and Silurian Grey Wackie.

SOIL TYPE(S)

The soil is known locally as sammel and is very hard compacted sand. There are loam soils in the valley bottom and some areas of peat on the wetter land.

FAUNA

There are badgers and foxes on the farm and wild native fell ponies which graze the Howgills. The farm has a pair of tawny owls nesting in a tree on the farm and Roger Sedgwick has also seen Little Owls. There are a range of raptors and wading birds including kestrals, sparrowhawks, curlews, snipe and woodcock. Partridge and pheasants are seen on the inbye and meadow pipits on the fell.

But of particular note is the notoriously aggressive buzzard that circles Winder Fell looking for its next victim - it has attacked Roger himself and fell walkers and has even been reported in the Westmorland Gazette!

FLORA

The fells are made up of limestone grassland with some heather starting to regenerate with a reduction in sheep grazing numbers on the common.

ARCHAEOLOGY

There is evidence of a ridge and furrow system in a paddock behind the farm and in a field below Under Winder Wood.

HEDGEROWS

Unusually for a hill farm, around 60% of the field boundaries are made up of hedges and Roger Sedgwick estimates he spends around 100 hours a year on laying and coppicing. He enjoys hedgerow maintenance and is hosting a Hedgerow laying competition in February 2008.

DRY STONE WALLS

The remainder of the field boundaries are dry stone walls mainly dividing the in-bye land from the fell. Roger estimates he spends at least 160 hours a year on gapping and other wall maintenance.

VERNACULAR BUILDINGS & FEATURES

The farmhouse was built in 1525 but has been extensively altered over the years and little remains of the original building. A cottage was built close to the farm in 1923 for the retirement of Roger Sedgwick's great grandfather and this is now rented out to visitors.