Whittle Hall Farm, Littledale Road, Great Sankey, Warrington

Heritage Appraisal

Oxford Archaeology North July 2015

Red Apple Design Ltd

Issue No: 2015-16/1666 OA North Job No: L10884 NGR: 357003 389112 Document Title: Whittle Hall Farm, Littledale Road, Great Sankey, Warrington

Document Type: Heritage Appraisal

Client Name: Red Apple Design Ltd

Issue Number: 2015-16/1666 OA North Job Number: L10884

National Grid Reference: 357003 389112

Prepared by: Ian Miller Signed Position: Senior Project Manager Date: July 2015

Approved by: Alan Lupton Signed . Position: Operations Manager Date: July 2015

Oxford Archaeology North © Oxford Archaeology Ltd (2015) Mill 3 Janus House Moor Lane Mill Osney Mead Moor Lane Oxford Lancaster LA1 1GF OX2 0EA t: (0044) 01524 541000 t: (0044) 01865 263800 f: (0044) 01524 848606 f: (0044) 01865 793496 w: www.oxfordarch.co.uk e: [email protected]

Oxford Archaeological Unit Limited is a Registered Charity No: 285627

Disclaimer: This document has been prepared for the titled project or named part thereof and should not be relied upon or used for any other project without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of Oxford Archaeology Ltd being obtained. Oxford Archaeology Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for the consequences of this document being used for a purpose other than the purposes for which it was commissioned. Any person/party using or relying on the document for such other purposes agrees, and will by such use or reliance be taken to confirm their agreement to indemnify Oxford Archaeology for all loss or damage resulting therefrom. Oxford Archaeology Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other than the person/party by whom it was commissioned. Whittle Hall Farm, Littledale Road, Great Sankey, Warrington: Heritage Appraisal 1

CONTENTS

SUMMARY ...... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...... 3 1. INTRODUCTION...... 4 1.1 Circumstances of the Project ...... 4 1.2 Location, Landscape and Geology...... 4 2. METHODOLOGY...... 5 2.1 Objectives ...... 5 2.2 Planning Background and Legislative Framework...... 5 2.3 Designated Sites...... 6 2.4 Assessing the Setting of Heritage Assets...... 7 2.5 Objectives ...... 9 2.6 Significance ...... 9 2.7 Assessing Significance ...... 10 3. BACKGROUND...... 11 3.1 Introduction...... 11 3.2 Pre-Norman Background ...... 11 3.3 Historical Development of Burtonwood...... 14 3.4 Development of Whittle Hall...... 15 4. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF BUILDINGS...... 20 4.1 Introduction...... 20 4.2 Farmhouse (Building 1)...... 20 4.3 Farm Cottage (Building 2)...... 23 4.4 Lean-to (Building 3) ...... 24 4.5 Outbuilding (Building 4) ...... 24 4.6 Cow / Cart Shed (Building 5) ...... 26 4.7 Outbuildings (Buildings 6 and 7)...... 28 4.8 Outbuildings (Building 8)...... 28 4.9 Combined Barn and Fodder House (Building 9)...... 29 5. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ...... 32 5.1 Introduction...... 32 5.2 Statement of Significance ...... 32 6. CONCLUSION...... 33 6.1 Conclusion ...... 33 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 34 ILLUSTRATIONS ...... 36

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SUMMARY

In June 2015, Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned by Red Apple Design Ltd to produce a heritage appraisal of Whittle Hall Farm, in Great Sankey, near Warrington (centred on NGR 357003 389112).

The relative significance of the building has been considered with reference to the four areas of heritage values outlined by English Heritage in their Conservation Principles Policies and Guidance, and the Secretary of State’s criteria for assessing the national importance of monuments.

The results of the heritage appraisal conclude that the buildings are of moderate historic significance. However, whilst the site is certainly of some historical interest and heritage value, its significance is firmly on a local level.

It is suggested that the case for retention and re-use of the farmhouse, its associated cottage and the combined barn should be explored in advance of any proposal for total demolition. However, the complete loss of the buildings in any future development scheme is unlikely to constitute substantial harm to the character of the historic environment, reflecting the considerable level of housing development that has occurred already, completely encompassing the study area. It is also accepted that retetion may not be economically viable due to the poor structural condition of some of the component elements.

Any future proposals for the development of the site, however, should be accompanied by a detailed archaeological survey of the building, commensurate with an Historic England Level II-type survey. This should be coupled with some targeted intrusive archaeological investigation, which should aim to recover evidence for the early origins of Whittle Hall.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) would like to thank Bryan Walker of Red Apple Design Ltd for commissioning and supporting the project. The report was compiled by Ian Miller and Andy Phelps, and the illustrations were produced by Mark Tidmarsh.

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PROJECT

1.1.1 In June 20154, Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was commissioned by Red Apple Design Ltd to produce a heritage appraisal of Whittle Hall Farm in Great Sankey, Warrington. The study was required to provide an archaeological perspective on the significance of the building in order to inform the preparation of development proposals.

1.1.2 Whittle Hall is entered on the Cheshire Historic Environment Record (HER 564/2) as the probable manor house of Great Sankey. It is believed to have been the property of the Legh family in the mid-fifteenth century, and is recorded to have comprised ‘rooms, kitchen, stable, barn, byre similarly with orchards and three gardens with a hundred acres of land lying in 14 fields enclosed together with hedges and ditches’. It was passed subsequently to Sir Thomas Tyldesley, then onto the Irelands of Bewsey and their successors.

1.2 LOCATION, LANDSCAPE AND GEOLOGY

1.2.1 Whittle Hall Farm lies in Great Sankey on the south-western fringes of Warrington (Fig 1). The former farm is bounded by Littledale Road, Mossdale Close and Garsdale Close (centred on NGR 357003 389112), and is set within a wholly residential location, being encompassed by modern housing units (Plate 1). The former farm site comprises approximately 1.76 acres (0.712ha), and has a fairly level topography. Vehicular access is provided from Littledale Road.

Plate 1: Recent aerial view of Whittle Hall Farm and its environs

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2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 OBJECTIVES

2.1.1 The principal objective of the Heritage Appraisal was to provide an archaeological perspective on the relative significance of Whittle Hall Farm, and to allow an informed decision to be taken with regard to its future. This was achieved by carrying out desk-based research coupled with a visual inspection survey of the building and its environs, which was undertaken in June 2015. The visual inspection was intended to provide the minimum of information needed to identify the building’s age, type, broad chronological development, and, crucially, significance; it was not intended to provide a detailed survey of the building.

2.2 PLANNING BACKGROUND AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

2.2.1 National Policy Framework: national planning policies on the conservation of the historic environment are set out in National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which was published by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in March 2012. Sites of archaeological or cultural heritage significance that are valued components of the historic environment and merit consideration in planning decisions are grouped as ‘heritage assets’; ‘heritage assets are an irreplaceable resource’, the conservation of which can bring ‘wider social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits...’ (DCLG 2012, Section 12.126). The policy framework states that the ‘significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting’ should be understood in order to assess the potential impact (DCLG 2012, Section 12.128).

2.2.2 In accordance with paragraph 128 of the NPPF, Warrington Borough Council planning authority requires planning applicants to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected by planning proposals and evaluate the impact on them, identifying appropriate design and other mitigation measures to ensure that they are not adversely affected. This heritage appraisal is intended to fulfil this requirement.

2.2.3 In addition to NPPF, heritage assets and their settings are protected under the 1990 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act. The impact of development on the setting of a listed building is a material consideration that local planning authorities have a duty to consider. Section 66(1) states: ‘In considering whether to grant planning permission for development which affects a listed building or its setting, the local planning authority or, as the case may be, the Secretary of State shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses’.

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2.2.4 Current Historic England guidance defines setting as ‘the surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced. Its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surroundings evolve’ (English Heritage 2011, 4). Setting can make a varying contribution to an asset’s significance; it may be positive or negative, or neutral. The NPPF also states that ‘proposals that preserve those elements of setting that make a positive contribution to or better reveal the significance of the asset should be treated favourably’ (paragraph 137). A key principle within the NPPF is that any harm to heritage assets should be weighed against the public benefits (paragraphs 133 and 134).

2.2.5 The site is identified within the 2011 WBC SHLAA as being suitable and achievable for a residential development.

2.3 DESIGNATED SITES

2.3.1 Whittle Hall Farm is not afforded any statutory designation, although is a locally designated heritage asset (locally listed). It does not lie within a conservation area, nor does it form part of a registered park and garden. Six listed buildings lie in proximity to Whittle Hall Farm, all of which are designated Grade II. A scheduled monument, Barrow Old Hall moated site, lies a short distance to the north-west. A summary of these designated heritage assets is set out in Table 1.

HE ID No Description Grade NGR 1013363 Barrow Old Hall moated site Scheduled 356170 389580 Monument 405824 Sankey Railway Station II 356839, 388574 405599 Church of St Mary II 356896, 388461 405600 Sundial to the south-east of the porch II 356895, 388442 of St Mary’s 493584 Mounting Block on A57 II 355926, 388648 405604 Milestone on A57 II 355364, 388797 493614 Milestone on Liverpool Road II 357600, 387972

Table 1: Summary of designated heritage assets within close proximity of Whittle Hall Farm

2.3.2 The moated site of Barrow Old Hall is perhaps the most relevant to the present study. This monument has been dated on typological grounds to the period spanning the mid-thirteenth to mid-fourteenth centuries, when most moated sites in the region were established as prestigious residences for the lords of the manor.

2.3.3 In addition to the statutory designated heritage assets in the vicinity, there are three other locally listed buildings in the area: Holly House Farm, situated a short distance to the south-west on Park Road; Cherry Tree Farmhouse on Burtonwood Road; and Nos 374-376 Liverpool Road.

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2.4 ASSESSING THE SETTING OF HERITAGE ASSETS

2.4.1 The definition of setting used here is taken from the NPPF (2012): ‘setting is surroundings in which an asset is experienced. Its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surrounding evolve. Elements of a setting may make a positive or negative contribution to the significance of an asset, may affect the ability to appreciate that significance or may be neutral’. Furthermore, the Historic England document Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance (English Heritage 2008) states that setting also relates to the asset’s local context, embracing present and past relationships to the adjacent landscape. More recently, Historic England (2011) considered that the significance of a heritage asset derives not only from its physical presence and historic fabric, but also from its setting.

2.4.2 Historic England in their guidance document, The Setting of Heritage Assets (2011), has provided a stepped approach to the assessment of significance of setting to heritage assets. Following the initial identification of the heritage asset(s) and associated setting the following steps comprise: • assessing whether, how and to what degree the settings make a contribution to the significance of the heritage assets; • assessing the effect of the proposed development on the setting, and the resulting implications for the significance of the heritage asset(s); • maximising enhancement and minimising harm (mitigation).

2.4.3 In assessing whether, how and to what degree the settings make a contribution to the significance of the heritage assets, several potential attributes of a setting may help in determining its significance (Table 2). Having assessed the contribution of the setting to the significance of the heritage asset, the effect of any proposed development on the setting can be determined by consideration of the potential attributes of the development affecting setting. This will enable a decision to be formulated as to whether any harm to the setting of a heritage asset is outweighed by the benefits afforded by development.

2.4.4 If the significance of a place is to be retained and its historic value sympathetically managed, further change will inevitably be needed. Development need not devalue the significance of the place, both its tangible values, such as historic fabric, or its associational values, such as its place within the landscape, provided the work is done with understanding.

2.4.5 Historic England’s Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance (2008) also states that new work or alteration to a significant place should normally be acceptable if: • there is sufficient information comprehensively to understand the impacts of the proposal on the significance of the place; • the proposal would not materially harm the values of the place, which, where appropriate, would be reinforced or further revealed; • the proposals aspire to a quality of design and execution which may be valued now and in the future.

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Physical Surroundings of the Heritage Asset Topography; Other heritage assets (archaeological remains, buildings, structures, landscapes, areas or archaeological remains); Definition, scale and ‘grain’ of surrounding streetscape, landscape and spaces; Historic materials and surfaces; Land use; Openness, enclosure and boundaries; functional relationships and communications; Green spaces, trees and vegetation; History and degree of change over time; Integrity; Issues, such as soil chemistry and hydrology Experience of the Heritage Asset Surrounding landscape and town character; Views from, towards, through and across, including the asset; Visual dominance, prominence or role as focal point; Intentional intervisibility with other historic and natural features; Noise, vibration and other pollutants and nuisances; Tranquillity, remoteness, ‘wildness’; Sense of enclosure, seclusion, intimacy or privacy; Dynamism and activity; Accessibility, permeability and patterns of movement; Degree of interpretation or promotion to the public; The rarity of comparable survivals of setting Associative Attributes Associative relationships between heritage assets; Cultural associations; Celebrated artistic representations; Traditions

Table 2: Potential Attributes of the Setting

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2.5 OBJECTIVES

2.5.1 The principal objective of the Heritage Appraisal was to provide an archaeological perspective on the relative significance of Whittle Hall Farm, and to allow an informed decision to be taken with regard to its future. This was achieved by carrying out desk-based research coupled with a visual inspection survey of the building and its environs, which was undertaken in June 2015. The visual inspection was intended to provide the minimum of information needed to identify the building’s age, type, broad chronological development, and, crucially, significance; it was not intended to provide a detailed survey of the building.

2.6 SIGNIFICANCE

2.6.1 When applied to an historic building, the term ‘significance’ can be taken to have several definitions. The first is importance, suggesting that there is something about the site that is valuable, has status and should not be ignored. A site may be important because it is a rare survival, or the earliest known example of its type. It may represent a benchmark in terms of the application of technological development, or be a typical example of such sites. The level to which a site has remained intact is also an important factor in determining its value. The next is the idea of conveying meaning, implying that the site is a source of knowledge. Finally, there is the concept of a sign, that the building is symbolic, and acts as a pointer to something beyond itself. The significance of any site is to a large extent embodied in its surviving fabric, which can retain evidence for how the building developed and was adapted over time.

2.6.2 It is necessary to define what it is that gives significance to a building and therefore warrants protection. Whittle Hall Farm and its immediate environs encompass layers of archaeological and historical development, which may be valued for different reasons by different people, all of which should be taken into account in determining the overall significance. The glossary to the NPPF describes significance in relation to heritage policy as: ‘The value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. That interest may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic. Significance derives not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting’. • Archaeological • Architectural • Artistic • Historic

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2.7 ASSESSING SIGNIFICANCE

2.7.1 Assessing the significance of an historic building or site is not an exact science. It is based on specialist knowledge of the building type and a comparison with what exists elsewhere, and the extent to which it may be distinctive or have special meaning for different groups of people. Significance is graded on a relative scale, which is based on the geographical, extent/communities within which the building would be considered important. It is frequently useful to provide an overall assessment of the significance or importance of the building as a whole using the following categories (ranked from lowest to highest): • Local (may be subdivided into Major, Moderate or Minor); • Regional; • National; • International.

2.7.2 This analysis can be refined further by considering the value of each element of the building, or complex of buildings comprising a single site, and the contribution it makes to the character and value of the whole, using the following categories: • Exceptional: an element of outstanding interest; • Considerable: an element of special interest which makes an important contribution to the overall significance of the building; • Some: an element of lesser interest, or one which has been partly altered or adapted; • Little: an element which contributes minimally to the overall significance of the building; • Negative/Intrusive: an element whose presence detracts from the value and interest of the building or directly threatens it.

2.7.3 Whittle Hall Farm is a locally listed building, ie a building or other structure which is deemed to be of local architectural, historic or archaeological interest, and is included on a Local List drawn up by the local authority. This classification corresponds broadly to a site of Regional or Major Local significance.

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3. BACKGROUND

3.1 INTRODUCTION

3.1.1 In order to facilitate an understanding of the significance of Whittle Hall Farm in a local and regional context, the following section focuses on providing a summarised account of the development of the building. This is preceded by a brief overview of the archaeological background to the area.

3.2 PRE-NORMAN BACKGROUND

3.2.1 Prehistoric Activity: lithic finds and pollen data suggest the presence of early communities in southern Lancashire during the mesolithic (c 8000-3500 BC) and neolithic (c 3500-2000 BC) periods, especially in lowland riverine environments (Middleton 1996). The Sankey Valley appears to have been a favoured area, and significant concentrations of axe finds occur there (Cowell 1991, 35). Archaeological excavations at Bewsey Old Hall, situated some 3.5km to the south-east of Whittle Hall Farm, carried out in 1979-81 yielded 12 flints, three of which were considered to be of mesolithic date (Bearpark 1980, 52-3).

3.2.2 Bronze Age activity (c 2000-800 cal BC) in this region, as represented by findspots of metal artefacts, also shows a lowland and riverine distribution, but the more plentiful lithic material dating to this period consists mostly of casual finds, which are generally not well provenanced (Middleton 1996). Two burial sites have been excavated at Winwick, however, the township immediately east of Burtonwood. These date to approximately 1800-1300 cal BC and both produced a comparative wealth of ceramic and flint finds (Cowell 1991, 41).

3.2.3 Iron Age evidence in the locality consists almost exclusively of unreliably dated earthwork sites, identified from aerial photography. In addition, pollen data obtained from nearby wetland areas, such as Knowsley, Simonswood, and Burtonwood Moss, shows widespread forest clearance c 910-640 cal BC, which seems to indicate an increase in arable activity (Cowell and Innes 1994).

3.2.4 Roman Activity: during the late first century AD, the Roman military advanced into the North West, when political unrest required their military presence (Shotter 2004). It would appear that they followed a route leading from Wilderspool, across the Mersey, and northwards through Wigan, Walton-le-Dale, and Lancaster. Within the region surrounding Whittle Hall Farm, significant numbers of casual finds of Roman coins have come to light, including several hoards and single find spots. There is also a concentration of Roman finds in the Wirral and Liverpool areas, suggesting that artefacts may have been arriving via sea routes, although there have been no discoveries of Roman material in the immediate vicinity of Whittle Hall Farm.

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3.2.5 Early Medieval Activity: the evidence for early medieval activity is generally limited throughout the North West. From the early to mid-seventh century onwards, Lancashire fell under the sway of the kingdom of Northumbria, the southern extent of which was probably marked by the Mersey (Newman 2006). Place-name evidence gives some indication of areas influenced by Anglian lordship, which appear to be coastal and on the adjacent coastal plain. By the later ninth and tenth centuries, Hiberno-Norse cultural and political influences were affecting the coastal margins (O’Hanlon 1991). There is also some pre-Conquest Christian stone sculpture, including a cross at Winwick (Kenyon 1991, 102; Edwards 1978), which, together with the discovery of 600 east/west-aligned graves, and the circular nature of the churchyard, might suggest that an early Christian nucleus was located there (Freke 1982).

3.2.6 Lordship and land tenure in South Lancashire, 1066-1251: tenurial relationships in the historic county of Lancashire were distinctive and complex in the centuries following the Norman Conquest, with land under direct royal ownership found side by side with estates held by military service, or thanage. This may reflect the geographical isolation of the area, its former position within the kingdom of Northumbria, and its treatment after the Conquest, when lands between the Ribble and the Mersey, held at Domesday by Roger of Poitou, soon reverted to the Crown (Tindall 1985, 19). The Great Inquest of 1212 indicates that almost a quarter of the lands within the hundreds of West Derby, Warrington, and Newton were held in thanagio (Lewis 2000, 56). Even in lands held by knight service, however, study of the rents and terms sometimes suggests that this had been imposed on earlier thanage tenures (Farrer 1903, 9). It remains uncertain exactly what was meant by thanage, but it seems probable that the thane was responsible for the supervision of a demesne township, being responsible for the provision of services from the whole vill, rather than a single estate or manor, in a way reminiscent of pre- Conquest Northumbrian administration (Lewis 2000, 52). It was quite normal for both the tenants of thanage vills, and the holders of estates by knight service, to make grants out of their estates, particularly to members of their families or monastic orders (op cit, 63). This, in turn, led to a proliferation of small, freehold estates, in a manner that did not occur in many other parts of the country.

3.2.7 At Domesday, Roger of Poitou held all the lands between the Ribble and Mersey, which comprised six hundreds. Dispossessed in 1094, he was reinstated before 1102, after which the region, as the nascent honour of Lancaster, passed in its entirety to Stephen, count of Mortain (Farrer and Brownbill 1906, 292). Henry I put much of south-west Lancashire, including Burtonwood, in which Whittle Hall Farm lies, into the Royal Forest. The privilege of holding land in a quasi-royal estate was, perhaps, demonstrated as early as 1129-30, when seven Lancastrian thanes together paid 220 marks of silver for an important liberty, or franchise, regarding these lands. This was agreed between them and Count Stephen, and sanctioned by the king’s court (Farrer 1902, xv, 1-2; Farrer and Brownbill 1912, 285 n10).

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3.2.8 The agreement, perhaps, paved the way for a charter by Prince John who, as count of Mortain in 1189-94, granted the right to improve, sell, and give their own underwoods and ‘therein to build dwelling houses at their will, as within their own fee’ (Farrer 1902, 420) to all his knights, thanes, and freeholders living within the honour of Lancaster. Such men and their heirs were to have ‘all the aforesaid liberties well and in peace’ from John and his heirs by payment of £500.

3.2.9 In 1187, the men of the region paid 100 marks to the king to postpone for three years the triennial inquiry into the state of the forest and trespasses against it (Grant 1991, 46), and John’s charter, confirmed in 1199, reiterated this exemption. They could have their own dogs and hunt hare, fox, and all other beasts, except hart, hind, wild boar, sow, and goats, outside the demesne enclosures (Farrer 1902, 418-20; PRO DL Forest Proc Bdle 1, no 7). The charter clearly affected the subsequent development of the county, despite the reversion of John’s lands to the Crown in 1194. The Lancastrian landowners guarded their rights jealously and, at the Forest Eyre of 1251, ‘the knights and free tenants of the county of Lancaster, who held land within the bounds of the forest, paid £100 to the Crown in respect of ‘certain articles whereof they claim liberties by charters of the King’s ancestors’ (Grant 1991, 73).

3.2.10 In 1216, the honour of Lancaster was granted to Ranulf Blundeville, Earl of Chester, and Burtonwood is thought to have been included in a grant of the king’s demesnes to him in c 1229. The grant embraced the vill of West Derby, together with the wapentake and forest (Farrer and Brownbill 1907, 3, 325). On Ranulph’s death in 1232, it was William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, who received the lands between the Ribble and Mersey. The de Ferrers family already had a significant interest in the region, as William de Ferrers I held estates both north and south of the Ribble in 1176. Furthermore, William de Ferrers’ son was sheriff of Lancaster for three successive years, being granted an allowance of £100 in 1226 for keeping ward of the castles at West Derby and Lancaster, and constructing a new castle at Liverpool before 1235 (Shaw 1798-1801, 38; Farrer and Brownbill 1907, 3; 1911a, 4).

3.2.11 For a few months in 1241-2, for transgression of the rights and liberties of the men of the region, de Ferrers was dispossessed of his Lancashire property. However, the fee was restored in February 1242, on condition that the earl respected the pleas of the forest and all others, as they had been during John’s reign, and until the region had been granted to the Earl of Chester (Farrer and Brownbill 1907, 3 n8). It seems, therefore, that the important liberties granted in the twelfth century continued to hold good, and that de Ferrers was being warned not to interfere with the customs of the region.

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3.3 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF BURTONWOOD

3.3.1 In 1066, the vill of Burtonwood was included either in the lands of Edward the Confessor in Warrington and its three berewicks, together assessed as one hide, or it was one of the 34 drengage holdings attached to Warrington (Morgan 1978, R3, 269d). Given the subsequent history of Burtonwood, which passed to the barons of Warrington in the thirteenth century and retained a firm association with Warrington until at least the sixteenth century, it is likely that the vill was attached to the Warrington demesnes, although it was never a member of the barony.

3.3.2 Burtonwood lay within that part of south-west Lancashire placed in the Royal Forest by Henry I, at the eastern limit of the purlieu. Following the perambulation of 1225, in accordance with the Forest Charter, it was decreed that Burtonwood ‘from the hardesty as far as from Sankey Brook and from Ravnesneslake unto Bradelesbroc’ was not to be disforested (Shaw 1956, 107). Hardesty (or Hardersle) lay on the western bounds of Burtonwood

3.3.3 Bradley Brook and Sankey Brook defined the north and east boundaries of Burtonwood respectively, but Ravnesneslake cannot now be identified, and it is uncertain what proportion of the whole vill was to be retained within the Forest. However, it was stated that ‘William le Boteler and his heirs have common of pasture and store cattle and mast for their swine, and timber for their castle of Werineton and for buildings and for burning’ (Shaw 1956, 107).

3.3.4 In c 1229 Burtonwood passed from the royal demesne to the Earl of Chester (Farrer and Brownbill 1907, 325). Following the acquisition of the lands between the Ribble and Mersey by the Earls of Derby in 1250, William de Ferrers III granted Harderesley, in Burtonwood, to Tiltey Abbey in Essex, which had been founded by his forebear in 1153. An interest in the ‘Wood of Burtoneswod’ was sold to William fitzAlmeric Butler in c 1256 by William de Ferrers, the year in which William Butler was appointed deputy sheriff of Lancashire (Gregson 1817, 296; CL C.6.34-77; WL Bold D14).

3.3.5 In c 1260, Robert de Ferrers enfeoffed Butler with the manor of Bold (in the vill neighbouring Burtonwood to the west) in return for an annual rent of 10s. Later, in 1264, further reference was made to William de Ferrers selling ‘the wood of Burtoneswode’ to William Butler for 900 marks, and the grant of the manor of Burtonwood, with hunting rights in Sankey, Penketh, and Dallam, was probably confirmed at the same time (LRO DDLi Box 257/4).

3.3.6 In 1280, after the forfeiture of de Ferrers’ lands, Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, released Hardesley in Burtonwood, formerly held by the Abbey of Tiltey, to William Butler, in return for £80 (Farrer 1903, 288) and, in 1298, William Butler paid a rent of 1d, apparently for the whole of Burtonwood. The same rent appears intermittently after this time and was still accounted for in 1636 (Lewis 2000).

3.3.7 In 1866, Great Sankey became a civil parish, and incorporated Whittle Hall.

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3.4 DEVELOPMENT OF WHITTLE HALL

3.4.1 The origins of Whittle Hall are not well understood. It is entered on the Cheshire Historic Environment Record (HER 564/2) as the probable manor house of Great Sankey. It is believed to have been the property of the Legh family in the mid-fifteenth century, and is recorded to have comprised ‘rooms, kitchen, stable, barn, byre similarly with orchards and three gardens with a hundred acres of land lying in 14 fields enclosed together with hedges and ditches’. It was passed subsequently to Sir Thomas Tyldesley, then onto the Irelands of Bewsey and their successors.

3.4.2 The earliest survey of Lancashire is provided by William Yates’ Survey of the County Palatine of Lancaster, printed in 1786, which shows a building in the approximate location of Whittle Hall. However, in contrast to other hall sites in the vicinity, such as Barrow Hall, Whittle Hall is not annotated on Yates’ map. This suggests that it was not considered to be a significant building, and may have been without a moat.

Plate 2: Extract from Yates’ survey of 1786, with arrow marking the site of Whittle Hall

3.4.3 The next available map of the area is provided by Hennet’s survey of Lancashire, which was printed in 1830. This map was produced at a scale that was too small to analyse individual buildings, although Whittle Hall is annotated and seemingly comprised a small group of buildings (Plate 3).

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Plate 3: Extract from Hennet’s map of 1830, with arrow marking the site of Whittle Hall

3.4.4 A more detailed plan of the site is furnished by the Ordnance Survey 6”: 1 mile map of 1849, which identifies Whittle Hall as an historic site and depicts several blocks of buildings arranged loosely around a central courtyard, typical of a post-medieval farmstead (Plate 4). An L-shaped range forming the south- western part of the farm complex provided residential accommodation, with the barn occupying the northern side of the courtyard. Two smaller buildings may have been livestock pens.

3.4.5 The farm is shown to have been set in a rural landscape, surrounded by enclosed fields, and was accessed via a drive to the south. Smaller track leads northwards from the central courtyard, presumably providing access to the fields to the north. The Ordnance Survey map also marks a ‘draw well’ (ie a deep well from which water is lifted by a bucket on a rope).

3.4.6 Perhaps of greater interest is a curvi-linear feature shown by the Ordnance Survey to have crossed the south-eastern part of the hall site. This feature is not annotated, although its size, form and position relative to the buildings are consistent with it having formed part of a moat around the buildings. However, there is no documentary evidence to firmly support any suggestion that Whittle Hall was encompassed by a moat.

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Plate 4: Extract from the Ordnance Survey 6”: 1 mile map of 1849

3.4.7 The Ordnance Survey 25”: 1 mile map of 1890 provides the next available plan of the site (Fig 3). This appears to show the farmhouse and the adjacent cottage occupying the footprint shown on the earlier mapping, although extensions have evidently been added to the barn on the northern side of the farmyard. The same configuration of buildings is depicted on subsequent editions of Ordnance Survey mapping, published in 1907 and 1928 (Plate 5), the only notable change being the apparent addition of a rectangular structure in an adjacent field to the north-east. This structure had been expanded by 1959 (Plate 6), although the footprint of the historic buildings remained largely unaltered, with changes limited to the addition of two small structures against the eastern wing of the large barn. A notable change was the addition of a new drive, which approached the southern elevation of the farmhouse from Whittle Hall Lane.

3.4.8 The site retained its rural location until the second half of the twentieth century, when the area to the south-west was given over to housing development, as captured on an aerial photograph taken in the early 1970s. Further housing development has encompassed the site entirely.

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Plate 5: Extract from the Ordnance Survey 25”: 1 mile maps of 1907 and 1928

Plate 6: Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1: 1250 map of 1959

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Plate 7: Aerial view of Whittle Hall Farm in the 1970s

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4. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF BUILDINGS

4.1 INTRODUCTION

4.1.1 The following section provides a brief description of the buildings based on a rapid inspection of the surviving fabric. This information is intended solely to provide a basis to assess the relative significance of the buildings and its visible component elements. At the time of inspection, most of the buildings had been disused for sometime, and the windows and doors had been boarded up in an attempt to prevent further vandalism. A detailed internal inspection was not possible for health and safety reasons.

4.1.2 The farm complex comprises several interlinked and independent structures, which can be grouped into nine principal structures (Fig 2). Some of the larger structures are of late date, but the complex retains a core depicted on nineteenth century mapping, with the principal interest residing in the farm and its adjoining cottage, a large combined barn and a cow / car shed.

4.2 FARMHOUSE (BUILDING 1)

4.2.1 The two-storey, brick-built farmhouse with a slate gable roof is located in the south-eastern corner of the complex (Fig 2). It is aligned broadly east/west, occupying the footprint of a building shown in this position on the Ordnance Survey map of 1849 (Plate 3) and is abutted to the east by the Farm Cottage (Building 2). The bricks are hand-made and bonded in a pale lime-based mortar, which has been largely re-pointed in cement-based mortar. The openings were typically finished with projecting stone sills and splayed brick lintels.

4.2.2 The primary elevation lies to the south and is laid in Flemish bond (Plate 8), to distinguish it from the remaining three elevations where five-stretcher English Garden Wall bond is used. It has a doorway at the eastern end and two rectangular ground-floor windows towards the centre of the elevation. The first floor also has two windows towards the centre, and another to the east and west. The northern elevation has a doorway at the centre of the western end and a rectangular ground-floor window at the centre (Plate 9). The first floor has two rectangular windows, one to the west of centre and another at the eastern end. The lower half of the wall had been painted suggesting the former presence of a single-storey lean-to addition. The western gable had a window at each end of the ground floor and another at the northern end of the first floor (Plate 10). Only the upper gable of the eastern elevation was exposed above the roof line of the adjoining cottage, but it contained no openings (Plate 8). A shallow brick plinth topped by a course of chamfered ‘Staffordshire blue’ engineering brick extended across the southern and western elevations and the building has three diamond-shaped red brick chimney heads mounted upon a transverse rectangular brick stack, off set slightly to the west of centre.

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Plate 8: The south-facing elevation of the farmhouse

Plate 9: The north-facing elevation of the farmhouse

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Plate 10: The western gable of the farmhouse

Plate 11: The ‘Staffordshire Blue’ bricks employed in the south-facing elevation of the farmhouse

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4.3 FARM COTTAGE (BUILDING 2)

4.3.1 The eastern gable of the farmhouse is abutted by a low two-storey, brick-built cottage, aligned broadly north/south (Fig 2). The fabric of the building mirrors that employed in the adjacent farmhouse, comprising hand-made bricks bonded in a pale lime-based mortar that has been largely re-pointed in cement- based mortar (Plate 12). Where visible the openings employed segmental brick arches and single-piece stone lintels and the roof was covered in slate.

4.3.2 The eastern elevation is laid in English Garden Wall bond and has a projecting buttress or truncated chimney-stack at the southern end, an elongated rectangular window at the centre of the ground floor and a smaller rectangular window on either side. The first floor has a single rectangular window at the southern end. The northern gable elevation has a ground-floor window to the west of centre, and a pair of windows at the eastern and western ends of the first floor. The wall is topped by a low square single pot chimney-stack. A variation in the character and bonding of the brick work at this end of the building suggests at least two phases of construction, indicating the raising of the wall plates to accommodate a full height first floor. The southern elevation has no openings of any kind and used a consistent form of hand-made brick laid in stretcher courses. It has an externally projecting chimney breast at the centre of the wall topped by a two pot rectangular stack. It is adjoined to the eastern wall of the Farmhouse by a short section of brick wall, which projects southwards from its south- western corner (Plate 13).

Plate 12: The north-eastern corner of the farm cottage, with the farmhouse to the rear

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Plate 13: The south-facing gable of the farm cottage

4.4 LEAN-TO (BUILDING 3)

4.4.1 A single-storey lean-to abutting the western side of the barn in the south- western part of the farm complex. The lean-to is largely of timber construction with an asbestos cement sheet roof (Plate 14), reflecting its mid-twentieth- century construction date.

4.4.2 The lean-to is of no historic interest, and may be considered as a negative/intrusive component that detracts from the heritage value of the farm complex.

4.5 OUTBUILDING (BUILDING 4)

4.5.1 The remnants of a small rectangular structure on the southern edge of the farm complex, comprising reduced cinder-block walls set on a concrete raft (Plate 15). The outbuilding dates to the mid-twentieth century, and is depicted on the Ordnance Survey map of 1959 (Plate 6).

4.5.2 The remains of this outbuilding are of no historic interest, and may be considered as a negative/intrusive component that detracts from the heritage value of the farm complex.

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Plate 14: View of the modern lean-to (Building 3) adjacent to the barn, looking north

Plate 15: Remnants of the modern outbuilding (Building 4), looking east

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4.6 COW / CART SHED (BUILDING 5)

4.6.1 The combined cow and cart shed occupying the south-eastern corner of the farm complex has a T-shaped plan form beneath a two-part slate roof and may represent at least two phases of construction. The eastern wing is the larger of the two, being constructed on a broadly north-south alignment in hand-made red brick using an English Garden Wall bond with courses of four stretchers to each of headers.

4.6.2 The principle elevation lies to the east and comprises a central doorway topped by a splayed brick lintel, with another doorway to the north featuring a cambered brick arch and a third to the south finished with a square soldier course head. The first floor has a row of three circular pitching holes, finished with bull-nose brick jambs and equally distributed across the elevation.

4.6.3 The northern elevation has a pair of equally space rectangular windows at ground-floor level, topped with segmental brick arches, and a circular pitching hole at the centre of the upper gable. The southern elevation is partially obscured by vegetation, but has an identical circular pitching hole at the centre of its upper gable.

4.6.4 The western wing extends from the western elevation of the eastern wing, but is slightly narrower and also has a broadly north-south alignment. It too is constructed of English Garden Wall bond laid with four courses of stretchers to each course of headers. It has a large cart entrance at the centre of its northern elevation, topped with a timber lintel, and a first-floor loading doorway at its western end with a segmental brick arch above. A timber beam projects from the wall above the opening from which a hoist would once have hung. Ventilation is provided to the upper floor by omitting every other brick in the form of an elongated diamond vent at the eastern end. The ground floor of the western elevation is obscured by a modern lean-to extension, but a circular window or pitching hole lies at the centre of the upper gable. The southern elevation is obscured by vegetation, and not readily available for inspection.

4.6.5 The footprint of the existing building corresponded closely with that depicted on mid-nineteenth-century mapping, suggesting that it was extant by that date. It’s form and fabric is consistent with a late eighteenth- or early nineteenth- century construction date, but it is unlikely to have been built much earlier. Its form is fairly typical of agricultural buildings of this date in the region (Historic England 2006), and contains no features of particular architectural or historic significance.

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Plate 16: General view of the cow / cart shed, looking south-east

Plate 17: East-facing elevation of the cow / cart shed

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4.7 OUTBUILDINGS (BUILDINGS 6 AND 7)

4.7.1 Two adjoining single-storey structures occupying the northern side of the main entrance to the farmyard (Fig 2). The larger of the two structures (Building 6) comprises a brick-built shed, with infilled window and door apertures, and a lean-to extending from its western side (Plate 18). The fabric of the structure comprises hand-made bricks bonded with lime-based mortar, consistent with an eighteenth- or early nineteenth-century construction date. The lean-to has a sheet metal roof, reflecting its modern date, and houses animal feed troughs.

Plate 18: Single-storey outbuilding with attached lean-to (Building 6)

4.7.2 The eastern side of Building 6 is abutted by another lean-to structure (Building 7). This comprises a brick-built foundation, which supports a largely timber superstructure and asbestos cement sheet roof.

4.7.3 Neither of these buildings are of historic interest, and may be considered as a negative/intrusive components that detracts from the heritage value of the farm complex.

4.8 OUTBUILDINGS (BUILDING 8)

4.8.1 A rectangular, single-storey outbuilding, aligned broadly north/south and forms the north-eastern corner of the farmyard (Fig 2).

4.8.2 The building is of no historic interest, and may be considered as a negative/intrusive component that detracts from the heritage value of the farm complex.

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Plate 19: Outbuilding in the north-eastern corner of the farmyard (Building 8)

4.9 COMBINED BARN AND FODDER HOUSE (BUILDING 9)

4.9.1 A large, L-shaped building of two parts forms the northern side and north- western corner of the farmyard (Fig 2). The northern range is aligned east/west, has a modern steel roof and is constructed in hand-made red brick laid in four courses of stretchers to each course of headers. It has a large cart entrance at the centre of its northern elevation, with a cambered brick arch over and is covered by a shallow projecting porch. There are a pair of rectangular windows at either end of the eastern half of the elevation, both with segmental arches over a third window with a timber lintel at the centre of the first floor.

4.9.2 The southern elevation has been partly obscured by a modern lean-to, but also has a central cart doorway beneath a shallow porch. To the east of the cart doorway there is a circular pitching hole at first-floor level and a diamond vent to its west. To the west of the cart door there are pedestrian doorways to the east and west, and a rectangular pitching hole at the centre of the first floor. The lower half of the eastern elevation has been partly obscured by a lean-to structure (Building 8), but the upper gable contains no openings.

4.9.3 The western range retains its original slate roof and abuts the western elevation of the northern range, extending to the south to form one side of an open yard. It is also constructed of hand-made red brick with four or five courses of stretchers to each course of headers. It has a cart door at the centre of its northern elevation, with a cambered arch over and a rectangular window or pitch hole at the centre of the first floor above.

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4.9.4 The western elevation has a central pedestrian doorway with a pair of rectangular windows to its north and another a short distance to the its south. The ground-floor openings have been enclosed by a modern timber lean-to (Plate 20), but a pair of rectangular windows with segmental heads are visible just above its roof line, positioned at the centre of the northern and southern halves of the elevation. The eastern elevation is constructed of the same hand- made red brick and faced onto the yard to the east. It has a doorway at the centre of the southern half, and another at the centre of the northern half, both with segmental arches over. A small rectangular window is located at the centre of the elevation, with another at the northern end and third at the southern end. The first floor has three large rectangular windows in the same positions.

Plate 20: Western elevation of western range, facing east

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Plate 21: Southern extension, facing west

Plate 22: Southern elevation of northern wing

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5. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

5.1 INTRODUCTION

5.1.1 This assessment of significance of Whittle Hall Farm has been based on a rapid inspection of the building, coupled with a review of the available documentary evidence and information provided from previous studies of the building and its environs.

5.2 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

5.2.1 Summary statement: Whittle Hall Farm is a site of some archaeological interest, and the standing buildings are of borough importance, which is reflected in its locally listed status.

5.2.2 Archaeological Significance: the origins of Whittle Hall are not particularly clear, although it seems likely that the site was occupied in the late medieval period. It is possible that the hall was enclosed originally by a moat, although supporting evidence is lacking, based largely on an unidentified feature shown on mid-nineteenth-century mapping. There is little physical evidence surviving for a moat, although a boundary ditch forming the western side of the site, parallel to Littledale Road, is unusually wide.

5.2.3 Any surviving below-ground remains that could elucidate the early origins and development of the site would be of Major Local or Regional importance, and the site would merit intrusive archaeological investigation beneath the floor of the standing buildings (in the event of their demolition).

5.2.4 Architectural Significance: none of the standing buildings are not by a well- known designer, and appear to be typical of a farmstead on the Cheshire and Lancashire Plains (Historic England 2006). The farmhouse and its associated cottage, together with the cow/cart shed and combined barn, represent the historic core of the farm complex, and are considered to be of Major Local importance. However, elements of these buildings are in poor structural condition, and have been subject to some remodelling (eg modern replacement roof on the combined barn), which reduces the overall importance of the site.

5.2.5 The smaller buildings and structures occupying the farmyard are of a late date, and in most cases detract from the historic character of the farm. These are considered to be negative elements.

5.2.6 Artistic Significance: the site does not considered to be of artistic significance.

5.2.7 Historic Significance: the site does not considered to be of particular historic significance.

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6. CONCLUSION

6.1 CONCLUSION

6.3.1 The results of the heritage appraisal conclude that the buildings are of moderate historic significance. However, whilst the site is certainly of some historical interest and heritage value, its significance is firmly on a local level.

6.3.2 It is suggested that the case for retention and re-use of the farmhouse, its associated cottage and the combined barn should be explored in advance of any proposal for total demolition. However, it is accepted that this may not be economically viable due to the poor structural condition of some of the component elements.

6.3.3 Any future proposals for the development of the site, however, should be accompanied by a detailed archaeological survey of the building, commensurate with an Historic England Level II-type survey. This should be coupled with some targeted intrusive archaeological investigation, which should aim to recover evidence for the early origins of Whittle Hall.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

PRIMARY SOURCES

Published Maps

W Yates Survey of the County Palatine of Lancaster, 1786

Hennet Survey of Lancashire, 1830

Ordnance Survey first edition 6”:1 mile map, 1849

Ordnance Survey first edition 25”:1 mile map, 1890

Lancashire Record Office

DDLi Box 257/4 Grant from Robert de Ferrars, son and heir of William de Ferras, to William le Botiller of lands in Burtonwood, with vert and venison in all his woods and lands in Sankey, Penketh and Dallam, nd

SECONDARY SOURCES

Bearpark, P, 1980 Bewsey Old Hall Research Report, Warrington

Countryside Commission, 1998 Countryside Character Volume 2: North West, Cheltenham

Cowell, RW, 1991 The Prehistory of Merseyside, J Merseyside Archaeol Soc, 7, 21- 61

Cowell, RW, and Innes, JB, 1994 The Wetlands of Merseyside, Lancaster Imprints, 2, Lancaster

Edwards, BJN, 1978 An annotated check-list of pre-Conquest sculpture in the ancient county of Lancashire, Lancashire Archaeol J, 1, 53-82

English Heritage, 2006 Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Practice, Swindon

English Heritage, 2008 Conservation Principles Policies and Guidance, London

Farrer, W, 1902 The Lancashire Pipe Rolls and Early Lancashire Charters, Liverpool

Farrer, W (ed), 1903 Lancashire Inquisitions, Feudal Aids, Extents, Inquisitions Post Mortem and Ad Quod Damnum from the reign of King John 1205-1307, Rec Soc Lancashire Cheshire, 48, Manchester

Farrer, W, and Brownbill, JA (eds), 1906 The Victoria History of the County of Lancaster, 1, London

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Freke, DJ, 1982 An unsuspected pre-Conquest church and cemetery at Winwick, Cheshire, CBA Churches Newsletter, July, 7-8

Grant, R, 1991 The Royal Forests of England, Gloucester

Gregson, M, 1817 A Portfolio of fragments relative to the history and antiquities of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster, Liverpool

Historic England, 2006 Historic Farmsteads Preliminary Character Statement: North West Region, London

Kenyon, D, 1991 The Origins of Lancashire, Manchester

Lewis, JM, 2000 The Medieval Earthworks of the Hundred of West Derby: tenurial evidence and physical structure, BAR Brit Ser, 310, Oxford

Middleton, R, 1996 The Neolithic and Bronze Age, in R Newman (ed), The Archaeology of Lancashire: Present State and Future Priorities, Lancaster, 35-60

Morgan, P (ed), 1978 Domesday Book: Cheshire, Chichester

Newman, RM, 2006 The early medieval resource assessment, in M Brennand (ed), The Archaeology of North West England. An archaeological research framework for the North West region: Volume 1. Resource assessment, Archaeology North West Volume 8 (issue 18), 91-114

O’Hanlon, DM, 1991 Dark Age Merseyside, in The Archaeology of Merseyside, J Merseyside Archaeol Soc, 7, 75-87

Shaw, R Cunliffe, 1956 The Royal Forest of Lancaster, Preston

Shaw, S, 1798-1801 The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire, 1, republished 1976, Wakefield

Tindall, A, 1985 Moated sites of Greater Manchester, Moated Sites Res Gp, 12, Manchester

Shotter, D, 2004 Romans and Britons in North West England, Lancaster

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ILLUSTRATIONS

FIGURES

Figure 1: Site location

Figure 2: Building location plan

Figure 3: Site area superimposed on the Ordnance Survey first edition 25”: 1 mile map of 1890

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