Ashton Canal Lock Keepers Cottage Beside Lock Number 2 At Islington Branch Junction Basin

This is a lock-keeper’s cottage dating to around 1800, situated beside Lock Number 2 at the Islington Branch junction basin. The cottage is constructed of brown brick in an English garden wall bond, with a slate roof. It has a rectangular, double-depth plan, with a small extension at the right-hand corner. The site is sloped, giving the impression of two storeys at the front and three at the rear.

The front elevation has a three-window range. The doorway is to the left of the third window and has an altered door and a painted lintel. Windows have raised stone sills and altered glazing, with the ground floor windows having a segmental head. A single-storey lean-to addition is present at the right-hand end. A brick chimney sits between the first and second windows, and a gable chimney is located to the right.

The return wall on the right-hand side features a segmental-headed basement doorway next to the lean-to. The lower part of the rear corner at this end is slightly chamfered, reinforced with stone quoins to protect against chafing from tow ropes, as the towpath runs around the building from the lock to the bridge. The rear elevation includes a segmental-headed basement doorway near this corner and two widely-spaced windows on each floor. The interior has not been inspected. The cottage forms a group with Lock Number 2 to the east and the Towpath Bridge over the Islington Branch to the west.