No 3 Manor Cottages And Attached Garden Flat

No. 3 Manor Cottages and Attached Garden Flat

An estate worker's cottage built around 1891 for the Thornton Manor estate, constructed in snecked red sandstone with ashlar dressings and set upon a slightly projecting ashlar plinth, with a slate roof. The building comprises two storeys of main cottage accommodation with a single-storey attached storage and workshop space (later converted to a garden flat) in the early twentieth century. It is situated to the north-west of the main house, behind the stable and garage court.

The cottage exterior features a pitched slate roof with end ridge stacks across its three-bay elevation. The south-east front has a central entrance with a four-panel door beneath a rectangular overlight and small lantern above. Two-over-two sash windows flank the door, with two gabled dormers above containing smaller two-over-two sashes. The door and windows are slightly recessed with chamfered reveals and lintels. The north-east side elevation includes a two-over-two sash window to the first floor rear, while the south-west side facing the stable and garage range has leaded light windows, as does the rear elevation. A plank and batten door opens from the left side elevation.

The attached flat has a hipped slate roof with a dentil eaves cornice. A slightly recessed doorway to the far left contains a four-panel door with chamfered reveals. To the right is a slender one-over-one sash window with a carved surround, and a three-light mullion window with horizontal glazing bars to the far right.

The cottage interior contains two reception rooms to the front of the ground floor (now used as bedrooms) and a large kitchen area to the rear, originally divided into separate kitchen and pantry spaces with the dividing wall now removed. The front right room retains an original cast-iron range; the front left room and kitchen have replacement fireplaces. An under-stair storage area has been converted into an en-suite for the front left ground floor room. A straight timber stair flight with winder below the first floor landing rises from the left side of the ground floor, with a timber handrail, wide stick balusters to the landing, and plain newel posts with ball finials. The first floor contains three rooms, a bathroom and en-suite, with original fireplaces featuring cast-iron hearths. Four-panel doors are found throughout. The interior of the garden flat was not inspected.

The building was constructed shortly after William Lever purchased the Thornton Manor estate in 1891, appearing on historic Ordnance Survey maps from 1898 onwards but not on the 1872 map. It was built to house estate workers. The garden flat was added in the early twentieth century and was probably originally used as ancillary storage and workshop space. Both structures were renovated around 2007 and are now used as holiday accommodation.

The cottage and flat form an important component of Viscount Leverhulme's extensive late nineteenth and early twentieth century country estate. The design rises above purely functional estate worker accommodation and represents a well-preserved example of the period with careful architectural detailing. The exteriors remain well preserved, and the cottage interior retains significant original features including panelled doors, the timber staircase, and some fireplaces. Together with the main house and the stable and garage court, the building has strong visual, stylistic and functional relationships with other listed structures on the estate.