What is a town farm?
A town farm is a farm located inside a town or city. In Dutch it is called a stadsboerderij, and the term has two meanings:
- Historic: a farmstead within the town walls or ramparts. Until the eighteenth century, and sometimes much later, townspeople kept livestock in town and worked the land outside the walls.
- Modern: a city farm, a place for urban agriculture, animals and nature education, often in a park or on the edge of town.
The historic town farm
Such a farm usually consisted of a dwelling with stalls, storage for hay and tools and a muck heap, built compactly on a narrow town plot. For the farmer, the town offered protection from plundering; for the town, it meant food close at hand, even during a siege. In the Dutch town of Deventer these farmers were nicknamed ‘carrot farmers’ after the carrots they fed their cattle. In summer the livestock went out to the meadows beyond the walls.
Town growth and hygiene rules made most of these farms disappear. Survivors can be recognised by a wide door or carriage entrance, a tall loft for hay and sometimes the remains of a stall behind an ordinary facade.
Application
- Recognise the building. An unusually deep house with a large door in an old town centre may be a former town farm. The local archive or a building historian can confirm it.
- Check listing status. Many surviving examples are protected buildings, so alterations need the relevant heritage consent.
- Inspect the structure. Old stall floors, joists and foundations have often suffered from manure and damp. Have timbers and foundations investigated before a conversion.
- Keeping animals? If you want to set up a modern city farm, first check the local planning rules to see whether it is allowed at that site.
Signs of a former town farm
- Wide door or carriage entrance: A recognisable feature of surviving town farms.
- Tall loft for hay: Used for storing hay.
- Remains of a stall behind an ordinary facade: Sometimes still present.
- Unusually deep house with a large door in an old town centre: May be a former town farm.
Common mistake: sealing up the old stall area without ventilation when converting to a home. The damp, salt-laden masonry cannot dry out, leading to mould and timber rot.
Related terms
- Farmhouse
- Longhouse farmhouse
- Deep litter barn
- Repurposing
- Listed building
Want to know more about building terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.