Stott Hall Farm, viewed from moorland above westbound carriageway of the M62 motorway

Stott Hall Farm is a farm located between the eastbound and westbound carriageways of the M62 motorway in Calderdale, England.[1][2][3][4][5][6] It is the only farm in the UK situated in the middle of a motorway[7] and was built in the 18th century on Moss Moor. It lies south of Booth Wood Reservoir where the carriageways are separated between junctions 22 and 23.[8][9][10] The road divides for much of its length between the Windy Hill and Deanhead cuttings because of the surrounding geography but a myth[11] persists that it was split because the Ken and Beth Wild refused to sell.[9] However, the farm was actually owned by Yorkshire water at the time the M62 was built.[12]

Sally Boazman, BBC Radio 2's traffic reporter and CB radio users nicknamed it the Little House on the Prairie. It is separated from the motorway by crash barriers and a fence to keep livestock in and prevent out-of-control vehicles crashing onto the property.[8][13] It is one of the ten best-known sights on the motorway network.[14][13] It was the subject of a BBC Radio 4 documentary, a Yorkshire Television documentary[15] and a short film.[16]

References

  1. ^ "The man in the middle!". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Life between the lanes: inside Yorkshire's motorway farm". The Guardian. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  3. ^ Lavender, Jane; Howarth, Rachel (2 January 2021). "Owners of house in the middle of the M62 tell the true story behind it". LancsLive. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  4. ^ Cole, Laura. "Stuck in the middle - Geographical Magazine". geographical.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  5. ^ McCoid, Sophie; Lavender, Jane (28 December 2020). "Owners of the house on the M62 explain true story behind it". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  6. ^ Grieveson-Smith, Jess (7 February 2022). "Fascinating truth behind story of the house in the middle of the M62". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  7. ^ Jennings, Ken (21 April 2014). "The Only Farm in the UK in the Middle of a Highway". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Farming in the fast lane". BBC. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
  9. ^ a b "Life in the Fast Lane". BBC West Yorkshire. 24 May 2002. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  10. ^ "Motorways M60 to M69 – Most viewed". Photo gallery. SABRE. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  11. ^ "Farming in the fast lane". BBC Manchester. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  12. ^ Jones, Craig; Ballinger, Lauren (3 July 2019). "This is the actual story behind that house in the middle of the M62". Leeds Live. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b "The man in the middle!". 2 November 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  14. ^ "Spaghetti Junction is top sight". BBC West Midlands. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  15. ^ Michael Clegg (1983). "The Farm on the Motorway". Archived from the original on 28 May 2016.
  16. ^ Walker, Rowan (30 November 2008). "Farmhouse Island on M62: the Movie". The Observer. London.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stott Hall Farm.

53°38′28″N 1°57′07″W / 53.641°N 1.952°W / 53.641; -1.952

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