Listed Building record MDR16275 - The Old Cottage, 18, The Hill, Cromford Hill, Cromford

A Grade II listed house (formerly house with cottage attached) on the corner with Alabaster Lane, partly dated to the 17th century and extended in the late 18th or early 19th century. Built of roughly coursed rubble under Welsh slate and tiled roofs to a 3 unit plan, the two units to the left heightened (presumably by Arkwright to accommodate his textile workers), that to the right surviving to the original height. There is a shorter parallel range to the rear, one brick external end chimney-stack (to the right) and two red and black brick roof-ridge chimney-stacks. The front has an irregular three-window range: the first floor with one small blocked window to the extreme left, two two-light windows of different sizes with stone surrounds, the smaller with rebated mullion and surround, and (to the lower part) a three-light window with rebated mullions and surround; the ground floor has 3 large two-light windows, the two to the left (flanking a doorway) with mullions; the wide doorway into the lower section is probably the original. The interior is not inspected but it is understood to contain an early painted ceiling. See list description for further details. (1) A huge painting of an angel playing a trumpet emerged on the ceiling of the living room following removal of plaster when the occupants were redecorating in 1994. A former resident had apparently discovered the outline of the mural under about 10 layers of whitewash in 1981. The origin of the mural is unknown. A member of Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust visited the building to see the angel and speculated that the unusually high ceilings in the cottage could indicate that it was used as a private chapel at some point. (2)