Tower House And Tower Grange

Tower House and Tower Grange is a house located on Formby Grange Lane. The central section is said to date back to the 13th century and is part of the former monastic grange of Whalley Abbey, but it is more likely that the buildings are from the 17th or 18th century. They were restored in 1904 by C.A. Atkinson, who also enlarged the property in 1908. The structure is made of lime-washed brick and features a roof that is partly thatched and partly a patchwork of various slates and tiles, utilizing many salvaged materials, with an internal steel frame.

The building has an irregular plan, mostly consisting of two storeys. The Tower House has five bays, with the second bay featuring a gabled first-floor jettied over a canted bay window and a canted oriel, along with some brick diapering. The third bay also has brick diapering and a corbelled parapet on the front and right side. Some of the windows are small-paned horizontally sliding sashes. The rear range has a thatched roof, while the fourth and fifth bays are single-storey with a thatched roof and a stone slate outshut. The windows in these bays are small-paned and rise above the eaves, each with cornices. A central gabled porch bears the inscription "TOWER HOUSE" and has a battered buttress to the left. There are several brick stacks present.

The Tower Grange consists of six bays, with the first bay adjoining the Tower House and the remaining bays recessed. The first bay features a thatched roof and a gabled window with a horizontally sliding sash, along with brick diapering below. The return has a gable-end stack with a canted oriel next to it. The second to fifth bays have an irregular roof pitch that conceals a flat central section. The second bay has an entrance with a stone surround and two datestones; the lower one reads "LAID BY EWA 1908" and the upper one "CAA/EWA REST 1904," indicating the entrance has been repositioned. The fifth bay is recessed and has a first-floor window with a banded tympanum. The end bay features a two-storey canted oriel with a jettied gabled attic that includes diapering and timbering supported by two timber struts. The windows are mostly small-paned casements and horizontally sliding sashes, with some being plate glass, and there is a small flat-topped dormer above the entrance. A sympathetically designed 20th-century garage is located at the right return.

Inside, the property contains many features such as doors and a staircase that have been salvaged from other buildings. There are also two ventilation shafts and a service duct located under the roof.