Former Toll House, Cottage And Stable

The building is a laithe-house, incorporating a former toll house and stable, likely dating from the early 19th century. It is constructed of coursed squared gritstone laid to watershot courses, with a grey slate hipped roof, stone gutter brackets, and two ridge stacks. The building is two storeys high and comprises five bays: a double-fronted house, a cart-arch with a stable bay to the right, and a canted toll-house bay to the left. There is a rear addition and the ground floor is not fully visible at the rear.

The main elevation features a board door in a plain stone surround, and most windows are nine-pane, although their frames have been renewed. A four-centred cart arch has dressed quoins and board double doors, with a round window above, possibly with original glazing. A canted bay to the left has round-arched windows to both ground and upper floors, the ground floor window sill being slightly raised. A blocked doorway, in a plain surround, marks the former location of the toll house to the left return, with a further canted bay and a round-arched upper window to the left. The right return displays a doorway in a plain surround, and the base of a cantilevered stone staircase has an opening, likely leading to a former dog kennel. A wide first-floor doorway, centrally located, is contained within a plain stone surround.

The rear elevation features an inserted window below the eaves, a lower single-light window to the right, and a lean-to extension of coursed gritstone covering part of the structure. The stonework below the eaves to the left shows signs of disturbance, suggesting a blocked window or hayloft opening. The interior has not been inspected.

The laithe-house plan of a house with an attached barn under one roof is a typical vernacular form in the Pennines. The building includes a separate first-floor entrance to an apparently unheated room on the right and a separately entered toll house on the left, indicating a carefully planned arrangement. The building is situated at the foot of Lidgett, the route historically used by cattle drovers and weavers between Colne and Skipton, which became a Turnpike road in 1755. A second Turnpike road to Haworth also originated at Lidgett, and the establishment of the Blackburn-Burnley-Colne turnpike in 1810 is considered the likely date for the construction of the toll house. The builder may have also provided accommodation for travellers or warehousing for cloth within this substantial building.