The Whalley Arms

King Street, Whalley, :

Assessment of Heritage Significance

March 2017

STEPHEN HAIGH Buildings Archaeologist 11 Browcliff Silsden Keighley West Yorkshire BD20 9PN Tel: 01535 658925 Mobile: 07986 612548 www.stephenhaigh.co.uk [email protected]

The Whalley Arms, King Street, Whalley, Lancashire: Assessment of Heritage Significance page 1

THE WHALLEY ARMS, KING STREET, WHALLEY, LANCASHIRE:

ASSESSMENT OF HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE

1 Introduction

1.1 This report was commissioned by Edgeplan, acting as agents for the Cooperative Group, to provide supporting information for its applications for planning and listed building consent, currently under consideration by Borough Council (refs: 3/2016/0522 & /0523). This information was requested at a relatively late stage within the application process, with the principal objective being a greater understanding of the building’s interior.

1.2 The Whalley Arms is a disused public house in the centre of Whalley, standing at the junction of King Street with Accrington Road (NGR: SD 73354 36145). It is listed, grade II, and lies within the Whalley conservation area.

1.3 The earliest part of the Whalley Arms appears to be the west end, which fronts onto King Street. This block is dated 1781, and appears to have been purpose- built as an inn. To the rear (east), the building continues as a range of various structures and dates, of which the largest part was originally agricultural and equestrian in function.

2 Planning context

2.1 The Whalley Arms has been grade II listed since 19861, and lies within the Whalley conservation area (designated in 1972).

2.2 The present applications are for “Change of use of premises from use class A4 to use class A1, internal and external alterations and works to public car park area with associated works” and “Listed Building Consent for change of use of premises from use class A4 to use class A1, internal and external alterations and works to public car park area with associated works”.

2.3 A full history of planning applications at the site has not been undertaken, but previous applications relevant to an understanding of the building’s history include 3/1990/0356 and /0361, described as “alterations to existing dis-used wine bar to form first floor retail shop and ground floor bottle/crate store”.

1 https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1072044

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3 Historical background

3.1 The village of Whalley grew up around its Abbey, founded in the late 13th century, but in the centuries following its dissolution, it failed to develop in the same way as comparable settlements, partly as a consequence of the manner in which the Abbey’s land was acquired and held, and by the early 19th century remained a small village with rural, rather than urban characteristics.

3.2 One way in which the village did grow in significance during this period is attributable to increasing road transport and the development of the road system during the early part of the industrial revolution. The Whalley Arms (perhaps then known by a different name) was located at the junction of the and Clitheroe turnpike (enacted in 1776) with the Bury to Blackburn and Whalley turnpike (enacted in 1789). As an inn, the establishment would have provided food, drink, and accommodation for travellers and their horses, but it is also thought to have been run as a farm, as was usual for rural inns at that date. There were three other similar establishments in the village around the end of the 18th century2.

3.3 It is believed that the earliest map to show the public house is the Ordnance Survey 1:10560 map, surveyed in the 1840s (figure 1). At this date the premises comprised two distinct buildings: the main west end, which adjoined other buildings to the south along King Street, and a separate, rectilinear building to the east, along Accrington Road. To the south were rear yards or gardens.

1: OS 1:10560 map, 18483

3.4 In 1897 the premises were put up for sale, as Lot 4, in an auction which also included Whalley’s Dog Inn, the De Lacy Arms and the Swan Hotel4. It was then in the occupation of William John Whittaker. A significant aspect of the 1897 sale particulars is a ground floor plan showing the arrangement of all parts of the premises (figure 3). Two main points can be gleaned from this plan: by 1897,

2 The Conservation Studio 2005 Whalley Conservation Area Appraisal 3 Lancashire, sheet 55, surveyed 1844 to 1846 (enlarged here) 4 John Ricketts Reddish, Solicitors 1897 Particulars and Plans of Four Valuable Freehold Fully- Licenced Public Houses… in Whalley which will be sold by auction by Messrs Wm Salisbury & Hamer… Monday 13th December 1897 (held at )

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new buildings served to conjoin the two parts of the premises; and the long structure at the east end (C on figure 4) was then divided into six rooms, the majority used for stabling or associated functions.

3.5 It is likely that the sale of the property in 1897 would have lead to some changes to the building, and these seem to have included the addition of a canted bay window to the King Street elevation, according to a 1902 photograph (figure 2). Ordnance Survey maps also show that between 1897 and 1910 a substantial two storey addition was built, against the south side of the kitchen and scullery at the rear of the inn (D on figure 4).

3.6 The Ordnance Survey recorded no further changes to the building between 1910 and 1929 (figures 5 and 6), but in the following decade, substantial demolition took place: the stables (block C) was shortened at the east end, by the removal of two of its six units, and the carriage shed, wash-house and other buildings within the yard were taken down (figure 7).

2: Photograph of King Street, 19025 new window

5 S T Taylor Taswell, J M Rawcliffe & J Hall (eds) 1902 Whalley in 1902 “King Street South”, photograph by R P Gregson

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3: Tracing of 1897 sale plan (adapted)6

6 (see note 4, above)

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C

8

Annotations relate to references in text D

B 7 4 5 E

3 6 A 2

1

4: Present ground floor plan7

7 by Archer Architects

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5: OS 1:2500 map, 19128 new block built between

1897 and 1910

6: OS 1:2500 map, 19329

7: OS 1:2500 map, 193910

4 The present building

4.1 T he present building can be seen to comprise five principal components, all built of local sandstone of varying types, and with either blue slate or local stone slate roofs.

4.2 The earliest part (A on figure 3) is that on the corner of King Street and Accrington Road, and faces west onto the former. This is dated to 1781 by a

8 Lancashire, sheet 55.10, revised 1910 9 Lancashire, sheet 55.10, revised 1929 10 Lancashire, sheet 55.10, revised 1938

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stone in the north gable, and is reputed to have been built using stone from the demolished Portfield Hall, previously “robbed” from Whalley Abbey11. The arrangement and details of its elevations are very much in keeping with its Georgian date (with the exception of the later bay window to the south). Although the main entrance is in the west side, there was formerly a second doorway in the north gable. In plan, this block is wider at the east end than to the front, perhaps because the adjoining cottages to the south (demolished after the 1930s) pre-dated the inn.

Photo 1: Block A, from the north-west

Photo 2: North gable of block A

11 Fell, J 1979 Window on Whalley, p12

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4.3 At the north-east corner of the 1781 inn is an addition, likely to be early 19th century (B on figure 3). It is set back slightly from the Accrington Road elevation and has two bays of different length, each under its own roof, with valleys between them and between the 1781 block.

Photo 3: North elevation of block B

4.4 Block B was also built up to the long stable block range C to the east, which is broadly contemporary with the 1781 inn. As has been established from historic maps and plans, C was reduced from six units to four during the 1930s, no doubt due to the massive reduction in horse-drawn transport of the early 20th century, but also perhaps to improve access into the premises’ rear yard. It is plainer in form than the main accommodation, and has an infilled cart or carriage entrance in its north elevation (which must have been blocked before 1897 as it does not appear on the plan of that date). The south elevation includes a shop front, of very modern construction and believed to date from c.1990.

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Photo 4: North elevation of truncated stable block C

Photo 5: South elevation of truncated stable block C

Photo 6: Late 20th century shop front, south side of block C

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4.5 Block D was built around the turn of the 20th century and is a two storey structure of three narrow bays, with a later porch. It was probably built as

additional domestic accommodation.

Photo 7: South elevation of domestic block D, c.1900

4.6 In the late 20th century a small, single storey flat-roofed addition E was built within the angle between block D and the rear of the 1781 inn.

Photo 8: 20th century flat-roofed extension E, to rear of 1781 inn A

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Interior: Ground floor

4.7 The present internal configuration of the 1781 inn, located at the corner of King Street and Accrington Road, is much changed from the original, as can be seen from a comparison between figures 2 and 3.

4.8 The main entrance on King Street is intact, and leads into a vestibule of 18th or 19th century date (“1” on figure 3), but this has been augmented by a second, inner vestibule, believed to be late 20th century, and it is apparent that there was very substantial alteration of the ground floor at that recent date. The second public entrance, on Accrington Road, is now blocked, and the passage which lead from it has been lost by the enlargement of the former Commercial Room, in the north-west corner (2). Similarly, the Bar of 1897 has been opened up to what was then a hall within the centre of the inn. At that date, the staircase to the first floor was located immediately east of that hall (3), but this has also been removed, and the two parlours which lay to either side of it have been merged into the present open-plan arrangement, with large bar and serving area.

4.9 The inn’s original outer east wall, which by 1897 served as the division between parlour and kitchen (the latter in block B), has also been lost, as has the wall separating scullery from kitchen within block B, and together, what were three distinct rooms now form a single large space, albeit with some modern lightweight divisions (4). The present staircase (5) is located within what was the pantry in 1897, and is likely to be early 20th century. The only ground floor room which retains its historic form is the “Beer Store”, a room still used as such until the recent closure of the premises (6).

4.10 The enlargement of the historic spaces into a largely open-plan arrangement has also been accompanied by the introduction of modern decoration and superficial joinery, including false ceiling beams and joists, below the historic ceiling levels: in a building of this type, late 18th century ceilings would almost certainly have been entirely underdrawn. All floor surfaces are also clearly late 20th century.

4.11 The ground floor of block D (c.1900) now comprises an entrance passage from the car park, with male WCs to the east (7); there are no aspects of historic or architectural interest to this.

4.12 At the east end of the building, the majority of the ground floor of block C is occupied by kitchens and female WCs, with a self-contained shop or office area in the centre of the south side (8). Within this arrangement are the remnants of two historic dividing walls, but overwhelmingly the present divisions are late 20th century partitions and there is no indication of the former equestrian use of this

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part of the premises. The doorway connecting blocks B and C is obviously 20th century.

Significant internal aspects to the ground floor  Entrance vestibule from King Street  Beer store, as largely unaltered room of 1781 inn  Substantial wall forming west end of former stable block (with modern doorway through)

Photo 9: View towards King Street entrance, and location of staircase and central hall in 1897

Photo 10: Present bar area (location of staircase and central hall in 1897)

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Photo 11: Former Commercial Room, enlarged to take in former passage from north entrance

Photo 12: Former Parlour, enlarged to incorporate former kitchen and scullery

Photo 13: Beer store, largely unaltered

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Photo 14: Kitchen area, ground floor of block C (former stables)

First floor

4.13 The first floor of the 1781 inn (block A) has been much less affected by late 20th century changes, but much of its present layout is the result of alteration, likely to be 19th or early 20th century. The plan-form appears largely original, although the re-siting of the staircase further east has been accompanied by minor changes to circulation and decoration, and in addition to the landing area (“9” on figure 8), comprises four principal rooms, presumably used as letting rooms for guests, though the larger south-east room may have had a different function (10). There was previously a further flight of stairs (11) to the attic, within the passage between the two northern rooms; however this may have replaced an original upper flight within the central hall area.

4.14 To the east, blocks B and D contain further bedrooms and bathroom on the first floor, perhaps originally intended for the innkeeper’s household (12). They are late 19th and early 20th century in character, although there is a four-panel 18th century door re-used within them (13)12.

4.15 Block C has a modern first floor, believed to date from c.199013, though it is presumed that this replaced an earlier upper floor, originally used as a feed loft for the horses stabled below. It is reached by a modern domestic staircase also of c.1990, from the shop unit below. The space was refurbished as shop or office space so all walls have modern plaster finish, though it is open to the roof, with exposed king post roof trusses of typical agricultural form, likely to be late 18th century.

12 An internal door, located within what was, until c.1900, an external wall 13 Not accessible during this assessment

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Significant aspects to the first floor  Historic plan-form in blocks A, B, and D  Minor neo-classical decorative details (19th/20th century), to landing area and corridors  Re-hung 18th century door in block D  Roof trusses in block C

Photo 15: Present staircase, from first floor down to ground floor (post-1897)

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Photo 16: Former first floor landing in 1781 inn, altered after 1897

Photo 17: South-west room on first floor of 1781 inn

Photo 18: South-east room on first floor of 1781 inn

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C

13 12

D B

9 10 A 11

8: Present first floor plan14

14 by Archer Architects

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Photo 19: Inserted first floor doorway, through east wall of 1781 inn, with corridor to accommodation in block B

Photo 20: Re-used 18th century door, on first floor between blocks B and D

Attic

4.16 There is an attic within block A (the 1781 inn), now accessible only by ladder, and no works are proposed for this area within the current applications. It is

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generally in a derelict state but much of it was once habitable space, and a room at the north side contains an original fireplace (the only one observed within the building).

Significant aspects to the attic  surviving partitions  fireplace in north room  three-light window to north gable  plain window in south gable (blocked off on exterior)

5 Statement of significance

5.1 The Whalley Arms comprises a complex and relatively large historic building within the centre of Whalley village and conservation area, dating from between 1781 and the 20th century, though the interior, particularly on the ground floor, was much altered in the late 20th century.

5.2 The complex was established as an inn at a key junction in the road network of the Ribble valley, when horse transport required specialised accommodation, and it appears to have developed to exploit this market, so the anecdotal connection the inn had with farming may well have diminished as road traffic increased during the 19th century. The surviving buildings at the site represent accommodation for both travellers and their horses, though the stable block at the east end of the present complex has been reduced in size, and its exterior and interior no longer reflect its historic function.

5.3 The buildings’ most obvious significance derives from the little altered, prominent, and aesthetically pleasing façades of the main 1781 block (block A), to King Street and Accrington Road Main Street, which are very much characteristic for purpose-built inns of the late eighteenth century, with few changes apparent, the most obvious being the addition of the west-facing bay window. To the rear of this, the exteriors of the former stables (block C) and later infill (B and D) are plainer, but nonetheless very significant externally as historic components of the inn complex.

5.4 Inside blocks A, B, C and D, extensive late 20th century changes to the ground floor very much reduce the heritage significance, and the original or historic plan- form is no longer obvious anywhere except the beer store within the 1781 inn. On the first floor there is better survival within blocks A, B and D, although the present configuration does largely reflect a series of changes made up to the turn of the 20th century. The interior of the stable block on the first floor is wholly modern and not of interest, except for the fact that it is open to the roof and the

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historic trusses are visible. The attic of the 1781 inn also has notable historic character and fixtures and fittings.

March 2017 Stephen Haigh Buildings Archaeologist