Inside the house built in the middle of the highway while the owners explain why it’s there



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It is one of the most famous houses in the north of England: the house built in the middle of the M62 motorway.

The two sides of the busy highway, linking Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds, separate just before the farmhouse appears, surrounding the property before merging again a few miles later.

For decades, urban myths have surrounded the white building that makes up the Stott Hall farm and the fields around it.

The highway was built in the 1960s and the farmer it belonged to, Ken Wild, was rumored to have refused to sell it when plans for the six-lane transportation road were approved.

Planners are believed to have had to solve the problem and simply decided to build the path around them.


Ken had been living there with his wife, Beth, and his flock of sheep.

But instead of being a rebel who opposed a great new highway, it seems like Ken was nothing like that.

A documentary, filmed almost 20 years after the highway was completed, revealed the truth about why the farm is in the middle of a highway.

Filmed in 1983 and released a few years ago by the British Film Institute (BFI), Clegg’s People explains why the road could never have been built on the farm.

Journalist Michael Clegg explains: “A geological fault below the farm meant it was more practical for engineers to leave it rather than destroy it.


“Outside, the noise is relentless, but inside it is as calm and welcoming as any farm.”

Ken and his wife Beth had moved to the farm in 1934 and always insisted that the highway did not bother them.

Although Beth admitted that it made cleaning difficult, since the large number of cars circulating at full speed meant that it could have a lot of dust.

However, the couple witnessed some fatal accidents while living on the farm.

But the closest they got to the disaster was at 4:20 a.m. one morning when a 32-foot truck ended up overturned in their yard.


Beth explained: “The driver got out the windshield. He was not hurt at all. “

Eleven years ago, Jill Falkingham bought the house with her husband Phil, and the couple moved in with their son, John-William.

They completely renovated the house, which dates back to 1737, and Jill has always insisted that it is no different than living elsewhere.

“Traffic is very close,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “But it is always windy here, which removes contamination. Huddersfield University students took soil and air samples, and the contamination is actually surprisingly low.

“We have triple glazing and it is no different than living anywhere that has a path.”

The only thing that can be frustrating is constant noise, which Jill says is “responsive.”

But she emphasized that she had loved living in an unusual home.

Jill said, “A lot of people say it’s gloomy and that they like Wuthering Heights, but I don’t see it that way. I think it’s beautiful.”



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