Vernacular Architecture in Alport

Mill Cottage

The hamlet of Alport has some very interesting geology and, when quickly exploring its vernacular architecture, I discovered that it has very many interesting historic buildings that have Grade II Listed status. 

A general view in Alport

This is quite surprising, given the very small size of this settlement, but its setting at the confluence of the River Lathkill and River Bradford made it a centre of local industry, with several mills being once located here and several lead mines nearby. 

Rock House

Several buildings have been listed only for their group value, but Rock House, Monks Hall and the barn attached to Hill View – with its Doric columns and large decorative plaques – have plenty to interest the architectural historian. 

The barn at Hill View

The predominant building materials are Carboniferous Limestone for general walling, massive Millstone Grit for ashlar in the best buildings and for dressings, with flaggy gritstone for the roofs. 

Birchover stone at Lathkilldale Farmhouse and Fern Glen

Where used for ashlar, as in Lathkill Dale Farmhouse, Fern Glen and the west extension of Rock House, the gritstone is pink/red and probably comes from nearby Birchover, where the stone very often has this colour. 

Boundary walls constructed in tufa

The Alport tufa has also been used widely for boundary walls, where the irregularly sized and shaped blocks are laid as rubble walling – sometimes with elongated flat stones from the Millstone Grit to add stability. 

Some rendered buildings in Alport

I only spent 20 minutes wandering around Alport, while waiting for my bus back to Bakewell, and didn’t have enough time to stop and closely examine the stonework of any of the buildings that I saw; however, I did notice that several buildings were rendered – which is very unusual in the Peak District National Park - and I therefore assume that the walls of these are built in tufa. 

A bridge over the River Lathkill

Having spent a full day exploring Youlgreave and Alport, I came home with several hundred photos. When editing these, I discovered that the stones used to construct the bridge across the River Lathkill, downstream from Alport Lane, have all been clearly numbered – a little detail that adds a further point of interest to an already fascinating place.

Numbered stones on a bridge in Alport