Description

LONG PRESTON

1297/13/10 MAIN STREET
20-NOV-87 (East side)
36

(Formerly listed as:
MAIN STREET
1
GROSVENOR PLACE)

II
House. C17 origins with evidence of early C18 improvements. Renovations and additions in C19 and C20.

MATERIALS
Local grit stone: squared and coursed to the front, coursed rubble to the gable. Rear covered in modern render. Stone slate roof laid to diminishing courses, stone stacks. Modern external joinery.

PLAN
Two bay, single depth of 2 stories with a continuous 1.5 storey rear outshut. Central entrance directly into west end of the housebody (principle ground floor room, now dining room and separated from the entrance corridor by a stud wall). Dog leg stair opposite the entrance in the outshut. Rear projecting wing is a C20 addition, the first floor bedroom in the outshut is probably a C19 addition.

EXTERIOR
Front: The central entrance is slightly offset to the east and has a sawn stone surround. The windows appear as C19 enlargements, also with sawn stone surrounds, now missing their flush faced mullions but retaining the glazing pattern with modern 3-light timber casements. The west side is quoined and the stonework of the elevation runs through to the quoining to the east side of number 34 Main Street. End stacks, that to the east incorporated into the raised gable of 34 Main Street.

West Gable: Raised, coped with shaped kneelers, that to the front being of a different (and probably later) design than that to the rear. Outshut marked by a building break. On the ground floor to the left of the stack there is a former mullioned window of 2 lights with a sawn stone surround. Smaller, upper window in the outshut, retaining evidence that it was originally a chamfered, 2-light mullioned window.

Rear: To the west there is a former 2-light chamfered mullion window, deeply inserted into a chamfered surround, now converted into a low doorway.

INTERIOR
Interior doors throughout are non-matching C19 panel doors, many showing evidence of alteration for their current locations. Architraves and skirtings all appear to be modern.

Parlour (West front): Two exposed ceiling beams that are chamfered with step-and-runout stops. Simple stone fireplace surround.

Dining room (east front): Two hewn hardwood ceiling beams that are unchamfered. The large fireplace has a simply moulded stone surround that is probably early C18. Above there is a small, carved timber overmantle with the inscription MT 1710. To the left there are two alcoves (former salt or spice boxes), to the right there is a C19 built-in cupboard.

Entrance corridor: The east wall (dividing passage from the dining room) is a stud wall that may conceal an earlier timber partition. The west wall is masonry with a central alcove with a large stone lintel being the original entrance to the parlour. At the end in the outshut there is the dogleg staircase which has a modern balustrade, although the rest of the structure appears to be pre C20.

Kitchen (East, rear): Two hollow chamfered beams. The window appears to be inserted into the back of a late C18 corbelled fireplace.

Bathroom: This has an ornate plaster ceiling featuring a geometric design of narrow strapwork that is Jacobean in style. However it is within the rear extension to the house added after the 1909 Ordnance Survey map.

First floor: Exposed beams are sawn softwood.

Roof structure: A single king post truss that is jowled to house a square ridge plate, the principal rafters being single pegged into the post. Purlins are staggered, back purlins. Tie beam concealed. Replaced common rafters.

HISTORY
It is believed that the terrace of houses forming 32-36 Main Street (historically known as Grosvenor Place) was originally all in one ownership, with 36 Main Street forming the farm house to Grosvenor Farm and the rest of the terrace forming farm cottages. Architectural details of 36 Main Street indicate that the house is likely to date to the C17 and to have been built for a yeoman farmer rather than one of the gentry. The kingpost truss is very similar in design to examples elsewhere which have been dated nationally to the C17, such as the truss dated to 1617-49 in the Old Manor House Manningham. The parlour beams are of a style commonly used into the early C17, but only used for lower status rooms up until the early C18. The chamfered mullion windows are also of a pattern used in the C17, but one that persisted in lower status positions into the C18. The dining room, originally the housebody (the principal room of the house used for cooking, eating and general living - the parlour then being the private room also used for sleeping) retains an early C18 fireplace with an overmantle dated 1710. The carving of this overmantle appears authentic, but it may have been repositioned. However it is possible that it dates a major renovation of the house with the replacement of a smokehood with a chimney and fireplace and possibly the construction of the rear outshut. The house with its outshut and rear dogleg stair is of a plan form that developed in the late C17, becoming popular in the early C18. Similar examples (though larger) include Huffingham Hall, Burnley dated 1696 (RCHME 1985, p150) and Hollighthorpe Farm, Crigglestone date 1725 (RCHME 1986, p174). A local historian has connected a 1782 licence to preach with the house, with John Holgate named as a licensed preacher in 1803. By 1839, ownership had fragmented with Samuel Holgate owning and occupying No.32, John Holgate No.34 and William Holgate No.36: possibly all sons of the 1803 preacher. By circa 1879, 36 Main Street had ceased to be the farmhouse for Grosvenor Farm and had been extensively renovated, probably with the enlargement of many of the house's windows with sawn stone surrounds. In the early C20 the house was lived in by a plasterer and slater called Mathew Jackman and it was he who probably created the Jacobean ceiling and other plasterwork in the rear wing that was added sometime after the 1909 Ordnance Survey map.

SOURCES
Hall, L (2005), "Period House Fixtures and Fittings 1300-1900"
RCHME (1985), "Rural Houses of the Lancashire Pennines 1560-1760"
RCHME (1986), "Rural Houses of West Yorkshire 1400-1830"

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
36 Main Street is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons:

* It is an example of a C17 yeoman farmer's house retaining its late C17/early C18 plan form.
* For the survival of a number of features of special interest, especially the kingpost truss, the exposed beams and the early C18 fireplace with overmantle.
* The ornate plaster ceiling of the bathroom is of interest as a good example of the continuation of traditional craft skills into the early C20.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26424663

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)