Building record MDR9929 - Pear Tree Farm, Lea Road, Dethick, Lea and Holloway
Type and Period (3)
Protected Status/Designation
- World Heritage Site
Full Description
Pear Tree Farm, Lea Road, Dethick, Lea and Holloway, an 18th century building.
An 18th century farmhouse of two storeys constructed from coursed rubble with a gable end and slate roof. It has three sashes with band surrounds, a central round-headed doorway with a radiating fanlight and a four-panel door. (1)
Pear Tree Farm is situated next to Lea Brook, a stream which saw the building of Peter Nightingale's cotton mill further down the valley in 1783 and which already powered a lead smelting mill and a rolling mill, both in Nightingale's possession, but was capable of further development. During 1784 and 1785 the stream's capacity was enhanced by the creation of two dams higher up the valley from the cotton mill, and there was a further substantial investment in 1792 with the creation of a third dam for the cotton mill. It was as a result of this development that the existing corn mill ceased to operate and Nightingale created a new one higher up the valley on a site that is now known as Pear Tree Farm. (2)
Although the buildings are present on a late 19th century OS map they are not named. However, a 'mill pond' is shown associated with the buildings to the northeast. Later OS maps from the late 19th and early 20th centuries show the buildings as 'Pear Tree Farm' and although the outline of the pond is shown it is not named. Comparison between the late 19th and early 20th century and modern OS maps show that the ground plan of the farmhouse and associated outbuildings has changed considerably during the 20th century. (3-5)
Pear Tree Farm, previously known as Beamore Farm, was the residence of Peter Nightingale (1736-1803) and his family for many years. In 1794, Nightingale built Beamore Corn Mill on land next to the family farm. The mill became known as Lea Mill and is described as having 'four pairs of stones, a carriage road under the mill for loading, and an "overfall" wheel thirtyfour feet in diameter.' The 1861 census record refers to the mill as the 'Lea Old Corn Mill,' indicating that it had ceased to be used as a corn mill at some point before that date. (6)
A visit to the site in April 2010 identified two original archways, to the front and rear of the farmhouse, that correspond to the location of the former water wheel. The headrace was found to run below ground from the former sluice, located to the south of the mill pond, in a straight line to the wheel, the tailrace continuing beneath the present-day farmyard to the wet of the farmhouse, then straight down to the brook. (7)
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SDR18918 Unpublished document: County Treasure Recording Form. 1/39 , with photo.
- <2> SDR18621 Unpublished document: Derwent Valley Mills (DVM) Nomination Steering Panel. 2000. Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage List Nomination Document. p 59.
- <3> SDR18789 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1882. OS County Series, 1st edition, scale 1:2500 (c. 25" to one mile). XXXIV - 7.
- <4> SDR18790 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1896-1900. OS County Series, 2nd edition (1st revision), scale 1:2500 (c. 25" to one mile). XXXIV - 7, 1898.
- <5> SDR20367 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1912-1921. OS County Series, 3rd edition (Second Revision), scale 1:2500 (25" to one mile). XXXIV - 7.
- <6> SDR19922 Article in serial: Wigglesworth, G. 2006. 'The mills on Lea Brook, Derbyshire', Wind & Water Mills. Number 25, pp 2-26. p 7.
- <7> SDR20996 Unpublished document: Sheppy, J (ARS Ltd). 2010. Archaeological Desk-based Assessment of Pear Tree Farm, Lea Bridge, Matlock.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | SK 31992 57214 (point) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | DETHICK, AMBER VALLEY, DERBYSHIRE |
| World Heritage Site | Derwent Valley Mills |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR2834
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Feb 27 2020 9:23PM