9 and 10, Market Place

A pair of cottages dates from the mid-18th century and was altered in the 20th century. The cottages are constructed of rubble sandstone and have a Welsh slate roof, originally stone slate. They are semi-detached, double-fronted, and have a lower wing to the rear of each cottage. The building is quoined with large quoins. The window and door openings have large plain lintels and projecting sills; the windows have glazing bars. There is a brick end-stack on the left, and a shared end-stack on the right with the adjacent property. Rear wings also have end-stacks.

These cottages are believed to be among those depicted on a plan dating to 1757, representing surviving cottages from the original hamlet of Elsecar Green. They predate the industrial village of Elsecar, which was developed by the Earls Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse, who invested in coal mining and iron working from the late 18th century onwards. They are important features within Elsecar, reflecting three centuries of coal mining, Christian paternalism and industrial growth and decline.