Mercer House

Mercer House, formerly known as Oakenshaw Cottage, is a house built in 1802 that is currently unoccupied. It is constructed from coursed dressed stone and features a slate roof with gable chimneys. The building has a double-pile three-bay plan with an attached service wing at the rear and stands two storeys high. Architectural details include quoins, a moulded cornice, and a parapet. The design is almost symmetrical, with a panelled door offset slightly to the left, which has a semi-circular fanlight and an open-pedimented architrave above it. There is a tall window above the door, and on each floor, there are two coupled tall windows, all with plain one surrounds, although these are now boarded. The rear of the house features a continuous three-tiered opening in the centre, with a panelled door at the ground floor and a stairlight with glazing bars above. To the left, there is a triple window on each floor, and to the right, there are coupled windows, all of which are sashed with glazing bars.

The house was built by Thomas Hargreaves, who was a partner in Oakenshaw Printworks, and it was later occupied by John Mercer, the inventor of Mercerisation.