| Description | Stannery End barn and cottages, Sowerby.
The barn and cottages at Stannery End were the subject of an archaeological assessment by the Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group in 1996. The survey identified the remains of a cruck building in the dividing wall between the cottages and barn. These could have been the remains of an earlier, possibly late medieval house or barn. The cottages have the date stone of 1774 with the initial 'I'. The (partial?) demolition of the cruck building may have occurred in the 18th century with the construction of the cottages. The barn was constructed in the 19th century.
The barn is of four bays with two end mistals and a central threshing floor. The cottages are double depth with one room to the front with a mirror arrangement, the rear arrangement was obscured at the time of survey. Both cottage and barn are constructed of ashlar. The report provides a more detailed building description.
The timber framing is interpreted as the remains of a house formerly on the site of the present barn. Alternatively this wall may have been part of a cross passage. The upper part of the cruck building was demolished in the 18th century. Timbers from the upper end, including a chamfered floor beam, were reused in the roof structure in the cottages.
As the cottages have no sign of a chimney stack and share a first floor it is possible that they were constructed as textile workshops with no domestic function.
(Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group. 1996).
The barn and cottages at Stannery End were visited by Elizabeth Chamberlin (WYAAS) in 2013 in order to write a specification for building recording in relation to the archaeological condition attached to Calderdale Council planning reference number 12/00810/LBC and 12/00484/FUL (‘Restore the cottage and convert the attached barn to form a separate dwelling’).
Chamberlin identified Stannery End as historically connected with Clayton and Mathew Normanton who were part of a band of counterfeiters known as the Cragg Vale Coiners Thomas. The occupation of Mathew Normanton is recorded as 'drawboy weaver' in a statement given to the Coroner regarding the murder of William Deighton. It is from this that it is known that Stannery end was involved in textile production in the mid to late 18th century.
Chamberlin considered that the barn and cottages represented a good example of buildings which reflect the dual economy of farming and textiles in upper Calderdale.
At the time of this HER record’s compilation, the photographic images produced by the assessment were awaiting referencing before archiving in the WYAAS digital image archive.
(Chamberlin, E. (WYAAS). 2013. 'Sowerby. Stannery End barn and cottages, Stanery End Lane, Cragg Vale'). |