Lower Lench Farmhouse

Lower Lench Farmhouse is a farmhouse that dates from the late medieval period or early 16th century and has undergone significant alterations, likely in the 18th century. It is constructed from sandstone rubble with quoins, with the house being whitewashed and featuring a tiled roof, while the rest of the building has a stone slate roof. The structure is a long range, originally possibly comprising five bays or more, but the house now occupies only the first two bays.

The farmhouse is two storeys high. At the junction of the first and second bays, there is a wide single-storey gabled porch that is currently used as a dairy. To the right of the porch is a three-light double-chamfered stone mullion window, which is missing one mullion. To the left, covered by an outbuilding, is an altered window, and on the first floor, there are two stepped triple-light windows, some of which have glazing bars, with indications that other lights have been blocked.

The external features of the building to the right are less significant, but notable elements include the base of a cruck blade visible in the dividing wall that abuts the front wall, and a window in the rear wall with three round-headed lights and hollow spandrels. In the bay or bays at the right end, there are beams and joists that all feature tongue-stopped chamfers. Centrally located in the rear wall, beneath an outbuilding, is a Tudor-arched doorway with a broad chamfered surround. Additionally, beneath the second bay of the building is a cellar with a semi-circular vaulted roof.

Historically, it is said that this farmhouse served as a resting house, possibly for monks, along an old road from Rochdale to Colne, which is now only visible as a winding grassy track on the east side of the building.