Pilkington Farmhouse

The Pilkington Farmhouse is a large house dating to the late 16th century, situated in Todmorden. It is constructed of large, well-coursed dressed stone with a stone slate roof. Originally a 3-room plan with a through-passage and a rear kitchen wing, the house has undergone alterations over the centuries.

The south front features double-chamfered mullioned windows with deep outer splay. The principal windows are four-light units with arched lights containing sunken spandrels, each topped with a hood mould. Above these are further four-light windows. A doorway has a projecting doorcase with monolithic jambs and a lintel featuring a cyma moulded cornice, supporting two pyramidal stones, one of which is engraved 'I'. A three-light fire-window is positioned alongside the six-light housebody window, also with arched lights, hoodmould and spandrels. An eight-light window sits above, with a simpler chamfer characteristic of the 18th century, and another three-light arched window to the outer bay. The gables are coped with early 18th century moulded kneelers. Three dressed chimney stacks rise from the ridge, one of which backs onto the through-passage.

The rear elevation contains a doorway with a deeply chamfered surround, above which are two two-light windows with similar hood and rainwater spout to the front. A later 20th-century window, inserted in keeping with the style, is also present. A wing projects forward, displaying a six-light window with a king mullion. A stack rises from the gable, alongside a 18th-century six-light chamfered mullioned window. A more recent 20th-century wing creates a two-span roof over the kitchen wing. Masons' marks are present throughout the building. A letter ‘W’ is carved into the window heads, a feature reminiscent of Old Farm nearby.

Inside, the housebody retains a large bressumer with finely stop-chamfered spine and intermediate beams creating a coffered ceiling. The principal truss incorporates a re-used cruck blade as a tie beam, exhibiting a deeply curved end. Originally, the house appears to have been a single-story hall with a gabled cross-wing. The hall was raised to two stories in the early 18th century, as evidenced by a discernible break in the construction. The rear kitchen wing appears to be an original feature.