As some of you here may know I have family farming connections, both in North Yorkshire and Norfolk/Suffolk. The answer to the above question by HughieD is in fact very simple - all one has to do is research the history of the buying and selling of the lands associated with the farmhouse and workers cottages (if relevant). One will always see the same pattern emerging - Somebody buys land and builds a farmhouse and yard with stables etc for work horses and equipment and there will be workers' cottages on the outer reaches of the estate if the acreage is large. As farming changed and became more mechanised, the richer arable farmers expanded by buying up the neighbouring farms. This inevitably meant that eventually the farmhouses on the acquired lands were not needed - the advent of motorised transport for the workers meant that turning the house into workers' habitation was not really cost effective or needed. Thus the unneeded house(s) stood empty. In more recent times the movement of people into towns and factories, local planning laws etc have not really helped to keep these places habited. Fortunately for my relations, the location of two redundant farmhouses on their lands has meant that they could be converted to holiday lets - for families who want to spend time on a working farm. Sadly this option is not always available to some landowners - planning, years of decay associated with standing empty etc,. sealing the fate of many such places.
A search of local land/farm sales will give you a good idea of why this place stands like it does today.