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Video: Mark Waugh

For years people have been scratching their heads about exactly why there is a house right in the middle of the M62 .

But now, a new documentary has shed light on the real reason behind the mysterious location.

The motorway was built on the moors above Huddersfield in the 1960s as engineers constructed it around Stott Hall Farm.

Legend has it that the owner of the house, a man called Ken Wild, refused to sell his land when the plans were approved for the road.

Ken, who owned it at the time, lived there with wife Beth and dozens of sheep, reported the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.

The myth is that he refused to budge and so forced the motorway contractors to build around him.

But now a 1983 documentary released online shows it’s just that ... a myth.

Journalist Mark Waugh also tackled the myth in 2013 producing the video slideshow at the top of this article in a bid to set the record straight.

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The ITV film – which was under the banner of Clegg’s People – is just one of hundreds of nostalgic films now on the web – and many have been unseen since they were first shown.

They have been released by the British Film Institute (BFI) and form part of its Britain On Film collection.

The 26-minute documentary is fascinating – perhaps simply for the fact that the amount of vehicles using the motorway at that time was clearly far fewer than today.

And farmer Wild – far from being the wild rebel you may think he was – comes across as a smiley, relaxed chap who speaks with a Lancashire accent.

And he reveals the motorway had to be built around the farmhouse because a geological fault beneath it would have been a massive task to overcome.

As journalist Michael Clegg states: “A geological fault beneath the farmhouse meant it was more practical for engineers to leave it rather than blast through and destroy it.”

And he added: “Outside the noise is relentless but inside it’s as peaceful and cosy as any farmhouse.”

Ken’s father bought the farmhouse in 1934 and Ken and Beth were glad they were able to remain, be it with thousands of vehicles passing by every day.

Not that it really bothered them.

But quietly-spoken Beth said it didn’t help with the cleaning.

“If it’s dry it’s always dusty,” she said. “If it’s wet spray goes on the windows.”

And they stocked up for the harsh winters.

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Ken revealed this typically meant a side of beef, half a dozen lambs and a pig.

A traditional sheep farmer, he had four working border collie sheepdogs, wore a tweed jacket and trousers while working on the moor and carried a large crook to catch the sheep.

The couple had seen a few accidents in their time, including fatals involving vehicles crashing in the 15 acres plot in the middle of the motorway.

But the nearest they came to disaster was 4.20am one morning when a 32ft lorry ended up overturned in their yard.

“The driver climbed out through the windscreen,” said Beth.

“He wasn’t hurt at all.”

And the benefits of living where they did?

“It’s having no neighbours,” said Beth.