The Hearse House

The Hearse House is a red brick building constructed in 1869 in an "Old English" style. It is a single-storey structure with a slate roof and a sandstone cross finial, likely relocated from a previous hearse house associated with St Helen’s Church. The building sits on a plinth and is oriented on a north-south axis. The south elevation showcases red brick in an English Garden Wall Bond pattern, featuring one header and four stretchers in the lower section and one header and three stretchers above. Gable detailing includes black and white timber framing on a rendered brick background, topped by substantial bargeboards. A central two-light mullion window with leaded glass, divided into small panes, is present. A large, central square-headed doorway has hinged doors, originally sliding doors, with the remnants of the sliding mechanism still visible inside. Plain side elevations are present, while the rear (north) elevation features a central three-light window with sandstone lintel and sill. Higher ground behind the building obscures the lower portion of the rear elevation.

The interior consists of whitewashed brick walls, a cement floor with a central drain, and an oak panelled ceiling that follows the roof’s pitch, cutting straight across above the window lintels.

The hearse house was built in 1869 following alterations to the 15th-century Church of St Helen. The church's westward extension required the demolition of a previous hearse house, leading to the construction of this new building. It was situated on land adjacent to the village fire station and original police station, previously provided for community use by the 11th Earl of Haddington. The hearse house housed the village’s horse-drawn hearse when the church managed funeral arrangements, remaining in use until the 20th century when motor vehicles took over. Later, it served as a storage space for the fire station's Land Rover after the station moved in the 1950s, and is now utilized as a store.

The hearse house is significant as a simple yet elegant Tudor-style structure, contributing to a small and unique group of original civic buildings in Tarporley. This group includes the 1909 former police station and the 1865 fire station—one of the earliest volunteer fire brigade stations in the country—all built in the village centre on land donated by the 11th Earl of Haddington for community use.