Rebuilt brick by brick: Derelict 18th Century farmhouse in the North Pennines is dismantled and MOVED 20 miles to museum before being painstakingly put back together to showcase 1950s rural life

 A derelict 18th century farmhouse has been dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt at a museum - to showcase what rural life was like in the 1950s. 

Spain's Field Farm stood for centuries in the North Pennines on a hillside between the villages of Rookhope and Stanhope before specialists transported it 20 miles to Beamish open-air museum, where it was painstakingly put back together.Overall, the museum, based in Stanley, County Durham, recovered 1,170 tonnes stone and timber from the isolated two-bedroom property.

The first recording of the farm, which was passed down through their generations, was in 1382, while the earliest stonework dated back to the 1700s 

The farm was donated by members of the Jopling family, who lived in it until the 1950s, and was moved to the museum using a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

Mary Foster, who lived at the farm twenty years before she married in the 1940s, laid the first stone at the museum in August 2018 before she passed away aged 101 in 2020. 

Her daughter, Yvonne Jopling, who was present when the farm was opened to the public on Saturday, said her mother had been 'absolutely thrilled' with the historic project. 

The home is the latest attraction unveiled as part of the £20million Rebuilding Beamish project, which used nearly £11million in National Lottery funding. 

The project has seen the construction of other exhibits including a 1950s town and a coal mining pit village. 

Spain's Field Farm (pictured before it was dismantled) stood for centuries in the North Pennines before specialists transported it 20 miles to Beamish open-air museum, where it was painstakingly put back together

Overall, the museum, based in Stanley, County Durham, recovered 1,170 tonnes stone and timber from the isolated property, which dates back to the 1700s. Above: The exterior of the property after it was rebuilt 

Work on dismantling the house began in 2016. Workers took the building down stone by stone and parts of the interior that were salvagable, such as the original wooden doors, were taken as well. 

Because the building's original roof had been largely destroyed, the workers had to build a new one but still used as much of the original stones as possible. 

The building does now boast a staircase which was not previously in the property. Its original inhabitants would have used a ladder to get to the second floor. 

Ms Jopling said: 'It's a privilege to have the house rebuilt, it's a wonderful thought that Spain's Field is going to live on.

'My mum was absolutely thrilled. I realise how unique it is to have this happen, it's very special.

'Spain's Field now opens the door to generations of many more people who will have the opportunity to appreciate how these hardy and resilient people lived and worked in Weardale in the past.

'I have had the unique privilege of being part of this project, witness to the dedication of the team who have restored our much-loved old family home for posterity.'

When the Jopling family lived in the property, it had no electricity or running water. The Joplings were almost entirely self-sufficient. They grew their own vegetables and made butter, bread, cheese and jam.     

Shannon Turner Riley, a member of the Remaking Beamish design team, said in a video produced by the museum: 'It was taken down stone by stone. Al the internals came down and then it was transported here to the museum where it had been rebuilt.' 

She added: 'The hope is with Spain's Field that we will be able to show life in Weardale and farming life around the 1950s as it was.' 

A map showing the property's original location between the villages of Stanhope and Rookhope, along with where it is now

The farm was donated by members of the Jopling family, who lived in it until the 1950s, and was moved to the museum using a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Before being dismantled, the farm house's exact appearance was recorded using 3D laser technology

In its new guise, the farmhouse has been decorated and arranged to make it look as it would have done in the 1950s

Before being dismantled, the farm house's exact appearance was recorded using 3D laser technology. 

Workers discovered a Georgian bread oven and a 17th century cannonball when they were taking the building down. 

Also found in the property were 1950s copies of the magazine Farmer's Weekly, along with furniture, farm tools and horse tack. 

The farm became derelict after changes to farming legislation and regulations after the Second World War made many farms unprofitable. Many upland farms like Spain's Field were abandoned and have since become ruins. 

In the 1950s, Spain's Field was occupied by Mrs Forster's three siblings - Elizabeth, George and Joseph Raine. 

The family left the property in the 1950s to look after their mother but the farm was still used to house sheep and cattle up until the 1970s. 

The home has two upstairs bedrooms, a kitchen, two livestock sheds - which are known as byres -, a dairy, pantry, stable, cat house, pig sty and outside toilet. 

The farm itself is believed to date back to at least the 14th century, when it is likely to have been a wooden longhouse. 

But the harsh climate meant that the farmhouse and buildings were regularly rebuilt - meaning none of the original medieval building remains. 

Rhiannon Hiles, Beamish's Chief Executive, said the project was a way of bringing the stories of the past back to life.

Because the building's original roof had been largely destroyed, the workers had to build a new one but still used as much of the original stones as possible

A video produced by the Beamish Museum revealed the sorry state that the property was in before it was dismantled and rebuilt

Mary Foster (pictured at the site), who lived at the farm twenty years before she married in the 1940s, laid the first stone at the museum before she passed away aged 101 in 2020

She said: 'Bringing the story of this farm and its location in the Durham Dales to the museum has been such a wonderful experience and a real labour of love.

'We carefully recorded the farm as it stood on its original site before taking it stone by stone and rebuilding the beautiful farm house and outbuildings in their new setting looking down across the Beamish valley.

'The stories that we are able to tell here have been shaped by the people who lived, worked and farmed at Spain's Field and the surrounding area.

David Renwick, Director of North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund in England, said it had brought people together.

He said: 'We're excited to see another element of the Remaking Beamish project come to life thanks to National Lottery players.

'The painstaking process of moving 1,170 tonnes of stone and timber to recreate Spain's Field Farm has paid off.

'This new attraction gives visitors a chance to explore the important rural heritage of Weardale and understand what life would have looked like on an upland farm in the 50s.

'We know that sharing and showcasing heritage can play a huge part in bringing people together, and the opening of Spain's Field Farm and its work with the community to unlock those stories, is a fantastic example of that.'