Historic Architecture in Eyam - Part 2

 

A view from St. Lawrence's churchyard

Continuing my exploration of the historic architecture of Eyam, the gritstone water troughs, gatepiers and walls to the south of Eyam Hall were the next structures on my list to photograph for the British Listed Buildings website Photo Challenge. 

 

Walling and water troughs on Church Street

These features, which incorporate a sheep pen in the wall, are listed for their group value and contribution to the historic character of the village. On the opposite side of the road are Delf View (c.1825) and its stables, built of gritstone with traditional stone slate roofs, but its principal elevation is obscured from view. 

 

Delf View

 

Next door to Delf View is another building listed for its group value - the converted C18 barn to the north-west of the Coach House. The gritstone here is, I assume, a further example of the Shale Grit, which I had encountered before at Bretton Clough - in association with the landslides that also occur to the east of Eyam - but I had never knowingly seen as a building stone. 

 

The barn to the north-west of the Coach House

 

Adjacent to the old barn is the late C18 Bagshaw House, described by Historic England as having been re-fronted in the C19, which is again is built with massive gritstone walling and thinly bedded stone slates for the roof. 

 

Bagshaw House

When undertaking research for this Language of Stone Blog post, I discovered that the intermittently active Bretton Moor Quarry, which is less than 2 km to the north-west of Eyam, has been producing stone for roofing for many years. This is quarried from the Shale Grit and it is therefore very likely that this formation has supplied Eyam with its traditional roofing materials. 

 

Plague Cottage and No.1 Church Avenue

 

On the opposite side of Church Street, No. 1 Church Avenue and the adjoining Plague Cottage are both built with Carboniferous Limestone walling, with gritstone quoins and dressings and stone slate roofs. Both date to the C17 and have associations with the Eyam plague, but they were later refaced in the C18 and further altered in the C20. 

 

Nos. 2 and 3 Church Avenue

Nos. 2 and 3 Church Avenue are also dated to the C17 and refaced in the C18, with further connections with the plague. The principal elevations are built in gritstone, with No. 2 having a bull’s eye window, but the gable ends are built with a mixture of limestone and gritstone. 

 

Church Cottage and Church View

I next went to have a good look at St. Lawrence’s church, which I will describe later, but the next buildings on my list to photograph were the early C19 Church Cottage and Church View, included for group value, which were originally two pairs of cottages but one of these has now been converted into a single house. 

 

The front elevation of the Rectory

 

The Rectory is set back in a large garden, with high boundary walls, trees and hedges blocking the view from Main Road; however, after obtaining permission to take a couple of the east elevation from the medical centre next door, using the tilting viewer on my Canon Powershot G7X II to take a shot from above the front and boundary wall and sneaking a little way up the drive, I managed to take a few record photos that would be suitable for the British Listed Buildings website. 

 

The east elevation of the Rectory

 

At first glance, the gritstone construction, stone slate roof and mullioned windows suggest this is another C17/C18 building, like most of the listed buildings that I had seen so far in Eyam; however, the Historic England description states that the house was rebuilt in 1960 and only incorporates a few remains of the earlier C17 and C18 buildings into the fabric. 

 

Stanley House and 10 Church Street etc.

 

Opposite the Rectory is the mid C19 Stanley House, which is again only Grade II Listed for its group value, with No.10 Church Street, Memorial Cottage and the Cottage to the east of these providing yet further examples of the vernacular building materials. 

 

Derwent Cottage and Derwent House

A little further down Church Street at the mid C18 Derwent Cottage and Derwent House, the Venetian windows and the rusticated door surrounds with a tympanum above, which are probably designed by an architect, set this pair of houses apart from the others that I had seen in Eyam. 

 

Mompesson Cottages

 

Taking a short diversion up Glebe Park, the late C18 Mompesson Cottages, with its C19 addition to the west end, was my next stopping point. This pair of cottages provides another example of gritstone and stone slates as the principal building materials, with the mullioned windows on the front elevation being typical of houses of this age – as does the C18 Dale Head on Church Street. 

 

Dale Head

The last building on my list to photograph was the early C19 Fern Lea, again highlighted for group value and set between the pair of Grade II Listed cottages Wayside and Roselyn adjoining to the west and Foresters House to the east. 

 

Fern Lea

It had taken me just under 3 hours to complete my Eyam Photo Challenge and, with 35 minutes before the No. 65 bus back to Sheffield arrived, I found a table in the beer garden of the Miners Arms and discreetly ate my packed lunch with a pint of locally brewed golden ale. 

 

A pint of golden ale at the Miners Arms