Historic Buildings in Woodhouse - II

 

A detail of Woodhouse market cross

Having had a quick look at St. James’s church, which is built in Dunford Bridge stone with Treeton stone dressings, I continued my exploration of the historic buildings in Woodhouse but, with less than 15 minutes before my bus arrived, this was restricted to taking just a few photos.

 

Miscellaneous sandstone buildings on Cross Street

 

Walking down Cross Street, on the left hand side there are a handful of miscellaneous domestic and converted agricultural properties, with shops, built out of the local Woodhouse Rock, including one that has a curious mixture of sandstone and brick. On the right hand side, however, nearly all of the buildings that were marked on C19 maps have all been replaced by others built in the C20.

 

A general view of Manor Farmhouse

An exception is found on Cross Drive, where the L-shaped Manor Farmhouse dates to 1690, as shown by the inscription on the lintel above the door. Although it has been refurbished over the years, it still retains its mullions and original external features and provides a good example of the use of the local sandstone.

 

The dated lintel at Manor Farmhouse

The C20 shopping precinct, which has partly replaced the old Market Place, would be easy to pass by without stopping, but the Grade II Listed village cross can be found here. It is believed that the stepped base dates to the C14, but the octagonal shaft was restored in 1826 and the sundial and wrought iron weathervane were added in 1897.

 

The Woodhouse village cross

Next to the village cross, which is presumably in or very close to its original position, there are also the village stocks. These date to the late C18 and are composed of two round headed sandstone posts, with slots on the inner faces holding the restored wooden cross pieces.

 

The Woodhouse village stocks

 

Immediately to the south of the village cross is the former Cross Daggers public house, which has a date of 1658 on the keystone above the front door. The sandstone used is light brown in colour, with iron banding and occasional rust coloured blocks and is very like that previously seen at Manor Farmhouse.

 

The former Cross Daggers public house

Carrying on across Market Place, Woodhouse war memorial, in the form of a wheel cross with a hexagonal head, looks somewhat out of place in its unattractive surroundings. Set on a roughly hewn base, the slight pink/orange colour of the massive sandstone used for the shaft and cross is quite unusual.

 

Woodhouse war memorial

With only a few minutes before my bus arrived, I finished my brief walk around Woodhouse at The George public house. It is not a listed building, but the large two storey bow windows that flank its entrance and the semi-circular pediment provide it with a very grand appearance, which reminds me of fine Georgian houses from the mid C18.

 

The George public house