4-8, Distillery Side

A row of cottages dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, altered subsequently and renovated after being derelict in 1986. The cottages are located in Hoyland Nether, near Elsecar, on Distillery Side. They are constructed from coursed, squared sandstone with a stone slate roof.

The two-story front elevation, which faces south, is largely symmetrical, with a total of six windows on the first floor. A central pair of doors is flanked by a pair of windows, with a further door and window beyond. There is a window above each ground-floor opening. The window sills are either flush or projecting, with some lintels finished to resemble voussoirs, while others have been altered. Ashlar and brick end-stacks, along with ridge stacks, were present at the time of resurvey and remain in place. A single-storey rear wing extends to the left (west) end of the terrace. At the rear, a formerly blocked central basket-archway is now incorporated into a later extension.

Historically, Elsecar developed as an industrial village for the Earls Fitzwilliam, who invested in coal mining and ironworking. The cottages are believed to be depicted on an 1814 sketch plan relating to the ‘intended Coal Tar Works’, which gave Distillery Side its name and operated from 1814 to 1818. The row was likely built as housing for workers at the adjacent Elsecar New Colliery, opened in 1795, which employed 95 men and boys by 1798. The cottages hold group value with the Elsecar New Colliery, including its Newcomen Engine House, a Scheduled Monument.