Vernacular Architecture in Bradfield

The Watch House

In both High Bradfield and Low Bradfield, apart from the church of St. Nicholas, there are only a dozen listed buildings – including a K6 telephone box – and most of these are cottages, farmhouses and other associated buildings; however, although I didn't see any old quarries where I could examine a large section through the Rivelin Grit, the local gritty sandstone has been fully exploited as a building stone and good examples can be seen everywhere.

The Old Post Office

Fine ashlar can be seen in the Old Post Office and the Old Horns Inn too but the Watch House - which was built in 1831 to address problems with grave robbers –  has fine window dressings and a castellated parapet for ornamentation but, like many of the other historic buildings, its walls are built of well squared and coursed blocks to which a tooled finish has been applied.

Paving, kerbs and setts on Jane Street

Looking down the various lanes that intersect High Bradfield, the setts, kerbs and riven paving demonstrate the versatility of the sandstones from the Millstone Grit Group, with both the massive and flaggy beds being applied to good use. At an altitude of 260 metres and fully exposed to the often very harsh winters of the Peak District, its durability as a building material is well proven.

Traditional stone slates at Ashby Cottages on Jane Street

At roof level, although Welsh slate has been used for Victorian buildings such as the Old Church Hall – and the Old Post Office - there are very many good examples of traditional stone slate in those built at an earlier date.

The Old Church Hall

Other uses of the local stone can also be seen in the village stocks, various carved gateposts, stiles and steps and a horse trough - which captures the flow of a small brook that springs from the hillside above the village.

A horse trough fed by a spring and a stile in the dry stone wall

Walking down Woodfall Lane to Low Bradfield, there are various old agricultural buildings that have been converted to residential use, several terraced cottages and a few other larger houses but none of these are of particular architectural merit.

Cottages on Woodfall Lane

The most interesting buildings that I saw in Low Bradfield are two Wesleyan chapels. The oldest, built in 1817 is now used as the parish council offices and on the opposite side of the road is a late Victorian building dated 1899. Comparing the masonry to every other building that I had previously seen on my walk, the latter is quite unusual in that although the walling is a typical buff/brown gritstone, a distinctly pink/red variety of sandstone is used for the dressings. 

The Victorian Wesleyan chapel