A Day Out to Elsecar - Part 3

 

A detail of sandstone walling on Distillery Side

Continuing with my day out to Elsecar, my next stop was to photograph the Grade II Listed buildings on Distillery Side, which takes its name from the coal tar distillery that operated here 1814 to 1818. Nos. 1-3 are now cottages, but these have been converted from the original building, which was a National School (1836) thought to have been erected by the 5th Earl Fitzwilliam. 

 

Nos. 1-3 Distillery Side

A little further along Distillery Side, Nos. 4-8 are a row of late C18 to early C19 cottages that were built to house workers at Elsecar New Colliery and, together with Nos. 1-3, are listed for group value as part of the colliery which, with its Newcomen Engine House, is a Scheduled Monument. 

 

Nos. 4-8 Distillery Side

During my previous visit to Elsecar, I had not explored the area beyond Elsecar Heritage Centre, with my investigations concentrating on Wath Road, and I was unaware of the colliery, the engine house or the canal basin a little further to the north. 

 

The Newcomen Engine House

Looking at the 1931 Ordnance Survey map of Elsecar, the first edition that was printed after the Elsecar Main Colliery had been opened, it is hard to imagine today what the village must have once looked like at its industrial prime – especially with the railway sidings being now removed, as I had previously encountered around Victoria Quays in Sheffield. 

 

The 1931 Ordnance Survey map of Elsecar

 

Moving on to Wath Road, I passed the late C18 terrace of cottages at Old Row, which were built by the 4th Earl Fitzwilliam to house workers at Elsecar New Colliery and are one of the earliest terrace of workers’ built for the estate, but I didn’t get close to them. 

 

Old Row

Next on my list to photograph was Station Row, of a similar date, which is thought to be based on plans produced in 1796 for the Earl by the architect John Carr of York, who was the leading architect in northern England at the time and was responsible for additions to the east front of Wentworth Woodhouse and for its stable block. 

 

A view along Station Row to the north

 

As with most private residences that I encounter during my general surveys of the historic architecture and building stones in Conservation Areas such as this, I didn’t stop to closely examine the stonework and just took a set of general record photographs that I would add to the British Listed Buildings website. 

 

A view along Station Row to the south

Approaching Station Row, formerly known as Colliery Row, the southern end comprises a massive well squared sandstone, which contains a considerable proportion of orange to brown coloured blocks; however, the first house is built with a highly weathered greyish siltstone, which has been repaired with very roughly applied sand and cement 'pointing' and patches of render. 

 

Another view along Station Row to the south

 

This sandstone used for the end wall, as with other large sections of walling along the rest of the terrace, looks like it is part of an extensive historic restoration and refacing of the terrace – to replace a building stone that the Fitzwilliam Estate decided was not fit for purpose. 

 

Reform Row

Further along Wath Road, Reform Row (1837) forms another terrace of 28 houses, this time built by the 5th Earl Fitzwilliam. Here, the masonry on the front of each house varies from roughly coursed and squared rubble silty sandstone to large blocks of sandstone, with distinct orange iron staining, which is laid in a snecked pattern. 

 

A view of the rear elevation of Reform Row

 

To the rear of Reform Row, as seen from Cobcar Lane, the masonry that I could see is again predominantly roughly squared iron rich sandstone – as also seen on the opposite side of the road at the Early C19 Cobcar Terrace, which Historic England describe as being “built after the 1849-1850 survey for the 1:10560 Ordnance Survey map, probably for the fifth Earl Fitzwilliam (1786-1857) who also commissioned similarly designed workers’ housing on Fitzwilliam Street”. 

 

Cobcar Terrace

I then took a diversion to take a quick look around the bridge on Wath Road, which crosses both the Harley Dike and a remaining section of the Dearne and Dove Canal, before retracing my steps back to Cobcar Lane. 

 

Harley Dike and the Dearne and Dove Canal

At Nos. 1-9 Cobcar Lane, there is another substantial Mid C19 terrace of 5 houses, again built by the 5th Earl Fitzwilliam, with the central property breaking slightly forward and having a pediment with a round window contained within it. After noting that the sandstone used here is similar to that seen elsewhere, I took a few photos before finding my way back to Church Street and then up to Elsecar railway station.

Nos. 1-9 Cobcar Lane