The real reason the M62 was built around this farmhouse… and it’s got nothing to do with the owner refusing to move
Released archive footage reveals the real story behind Stott Hall Farm
IF you've ever driven from Yorkshire to Lancashire, you might have noticed the mysterious house in the middle of the M62.
And now a new documentary has finally shed some light on why Stott Hall Farm - built in 1737 in Rishworth, West Yorkshire - still stands, despite being sandwiched between two major carriageways.
For years, rumours spread that the reason the house still exists is because its owner, Ken Wild, refused to sell his land purchased by his father in 1934 when plans were approved for the motorway to be constructed in the moors above Huddersfield.
But in the documentary, an archived ITV episode of Clegg's People which has been released by the British Film Institute, it becomes clear that Ken and his wife Beth were not the stubborn characters many believed them to be.
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In fact, the farm is still standing because a geological problem - the land being too steep - underneath the farmhouse meant that it was more efficient for the motorway's developers to simply construct the lanes around the house, rather than bulldoze it.
Journalist Michael Clegg explains in the film: “A geological fault beneath the farmhouse meant it was more practical for engineers to leave the house rather than blast through and destroy it.
“Outside the noise is relentless but inside it’s as cosy and peaceful as any Dales farmhouse.”
In the film, Ken explained: "It looked like we were going to have to move, but then we found out that they couldn't get all six lanes together so they left us like we are now."
Engineers also built an underpass to allow access to the property for its residents and the farm's livestock - as well as the Yorkshire water authority, which also owns the surrounding land.
But the documentary reveals that, perhaps unsurprisingly, living in the middle of the motorway is not without its challenges.
Ken's wife, Beth, describes how bad weather could cut off access to their home - and the farm's location makes cleaning difficult.
She said: “If it’s dry it’s always dusty. If it’s wet spray goes on the windows.”
Meanwhile, Ken, who passed away in 2004, reveals that the couple stocked up on a side of beef, half a dozen lambs and pig during winter.
And living so close to such a main route, it's perhaps to be expected that the Wilds would have seen some crashes in their time.
Beth reveals that they came close to disaster when a lorry overturned in their yard at 4:20am.
She said: “The driver climbed out through the windscreen.
“He wasn’t hurt at all.”
Meanwhile, the benefits of living in such a remote location are made clear - it is, of course, having no neighbours.
More recently, the farm has been occupied by farmer Paul Thorp and his wife Jill.
Speaking to the , Paul explained: "Some days I wish I could switch (the motorway) off, but I haven't found the off-button yet! We just have to live with it, it's not going to go away is it?
"I'm resigned to it, I've taken it on. I knew what it was when I came here. It's there to stay for sure."