| Description | Cross Ends Farm (house and attached barn), Wadsworth. 17th century house with early 18th century additions with late 18th century attached barn.
'House, mid C17 with early C18 added cell to south formerly used for non conformist worship and mid C18 barn to north. Large dressed stone, thinner coursed rubble to added cell and hammer dressed to barn. Forms a long range. 2 storeys. Quoins. 2 doorways with monolithic jambs, former doorway (now forms window). C17 house of 2 cells. Central doorway, forming lobby entrance, has flat roofed porch with Tudor arched doorway and cyma moulded surround. Inner door: has straight lintel and cyma moulded surround. Double chamfered mullioned windows to either side under continuous hoodmould with decorative carved stops of 6 lights and 10 lights, both with king mullions. 5 light and 4 light window to 1st floor with single arched light over doorway to right of central stack to ride. At junction of house and barn doorway with tie stone jambs and 2 light cavetto chamfered mullioned window with same over to 1st floor lacking mullion.
Barn has doorway with large lintel and mistal doorway to right with chamfered surround. West elevation has porch which breaks forward to protect cart entry. Interior of barn has 2 transverse pointed arches supporting roof purlins (Stell, C.F. 1960. 'Vernacular Architecture in a Pennine Community'. Page 279).
(English Heritage listed building description. Date listed 12/12/1984. http://list.english heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1226997. Web site accessed22/10/2013).
The barn at Cross Ends Farm was the subject of a planning application in 2000 for 'LBC for change of use of barn to dwelling' (Calderdale Council planning reference number 00/00771/LBC). Peter Thornborrow (Senior Historic Buildings Officer. WYAS) provided the consultation response.
Thornborrow described the barn as one of a small group of barns in the Upper Calder Valley that features transverse stone arches in its construction rather than timber trusses. Where stone arches are used these are usually round arches and, more rarely with Gothic style pointed arches as is the case here. The barns were built during the 18th and early 19th centuries are regarded nationally as an important group that does not occur elsewhere in the country, except for a few just over the border in Lancashire and Burnley.
The barn at Cross Ends Farm is a particularly fine example of the type, having three unusually tall arches and is similarly constructed to the one at Rodwell End, Todmorden that bears a late 18th century date stone. This barn then is likely to date from c.1780.
Thornborrow considered the scheme not sufficiently sympathetic to the open character of the barn and suggested that it should be amended.
As a foot note, Thornborrow describe the adjacent farm and cottages with reference to the English Heritage listed building description. The end cottage was originally built as a non conformist meeting house in the early 18th century. Services were held on the first floor with its own external stair (since removed). Larger gatherings were held in the adjacent barn.
(Thornborrow, P.H. (WYAS). 2000. Consultation response to Calderdale Council planning reference number 00/00771/LBC. Barn at Cross Ends Farm).
Copies of the architect’s plans produced by the assessment are held by WYAAS (John Thornton Associates. 2000).
Cross Ends Farm was included in the Calder Civic Trust and Hebden Bridge Local History Society joint survey of buildings for proposed listing in 1975. The fieldwork record sheet is held by WYAAS (Calder Civic Trust and Hebden Bridge Local History Society. 1975). |