| Description | Tannery east of Lower Whitley, marked on OS 1st edn (late 1840s). Tanning pits clearly visible on this map.
Site visit to Tan House Farm by WYAAS in August 2011 in relation to planning application 2011/65/91778/E alterations to convert farm buildings to dwelling. Site lies on south side of Whitley Road at a lower level than the thoroughfare and comprises a small brick built industrial chimney, a stone built N S roofed range to the west, a yard and a short unroofed range of buildings, also stone built. The southern boundary of the site is formed by a stone terrace wall indicating an element of landscaping has occurred. To the west of the roofed range is a triangular field of rough pasture which looks marshy perhaps the location of a spring and would appear to be functionally associated with the tannery site.
The site is identified as a tannery on the First Edition Ordnance Survey Map which was surveyed in the late 1840s. A woollen mill named as Whitley Mill is also recorded immediately to the east of the tannery on this map. Three lines of dots within the tannery complex appear to indicate the presence of tanning pits at this date. The tannery is still present on maps dated to 1890 and 1908 but is noted as disused in 1930.
The roofed range comprises both single and two storey buildings now used as storage and animal shelters . The single storey range to the south would appear to have been added to the two storey range and has seen at least two rebuilds to extend and increase the height of its slate roof. This was completed in brick. Two storey range comprises of four bays. East facing façade has a large door offset to the south, but not cart entrance. The ground floor has two window openings and the second floor four, all are roughly square and have heavy stone Jambs, sills and lintels. Western façade is partly built to earth with two ground floor windows and three first floor windows and a taking in door. Interior: no obvious signs of industrial use but has stone flagged floor in two storey section. Odd vertical stone noted in wall between two storey and single storey section with taking in door located above ground floor access between the sections. Single storey section has timber king post roof with iron fittings. First floor used for storage. Good head height below timber king post roof which was assembled with both iron fittings and wooden tusks. Baltic marks observed and taking in door on to Whitley Road.
Yard has irregular surface with numerous stone features projecting above grass, large rectangular stone lined pit in NW corner beyond which were roofless and demolished lean to buildings built against Whitley Road retaining wall. Tying down bolts noted in some of the stones in the demolition rubble.
Unroofed buildings to east were single storey and showed signs of alteration to agricultural use. Building in NE corner was earliest may have had domestic( or administrative) origins on account of its fenestration. Eastern façade was partly concealed below access ramp.
Chimney is associated with lean to buildings below Whitley Road. It is brick built with a stocky rectangular plinth and tapering rectangular shaft . Most likely associated with a small steam engine although other prime movers are possible. Not known if this is associated with the tannery or later use as a farm.
Not trace of Whitley Mill note although a large flat area to the east of Tan House Farm marks its location (Hunter and Chamberlin, 2011). |