Former Miners Standard Pub

FORMER MINERS STANDARD PUB, BOLEHILL, WIRKSWORTH

A mid-to-late 18th-century dwelling and dairy, adapted for use as a public house in the early 19th century, with a domestic extension added in the late 19th century. Later 20th-century alterations were followed by conversion to two dwellings, a process underway at the time of inspection in July 2010.

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

The front elevation is built of coursed squared gritstone. The other elevations are constructed from rubble gritstone and limestone, with parts of the wet cellar and later extensions built in red brick. The roof is covered in Staffordshire Blue tiles with brick chimneys, all repaired in 2010.

PLAN AND EXTERIOR

The building is L-shaped, with the former public house occupying the north-west end and the earlier dwelling with its later extension forming the south-east range at right angles.

The former public house presents a two-storey front elevation aligned south-west to north-east, with a single doorway at the eastern end. The ground floor has an 8-over-8 pane horned sash window, while the first floor contains a 15-pane casement window set within the surround of a former 2-light flush-mullioned window. The rear section of the double-gabled south-west end features a 10-over-10 pane horned sash window to the first floor, with a flight of stone steps against the ground-floor wall leading to higher ground at the rear. The westernmost wall is faced in red brick and carries a first-floor doorway and a 12-over-12 pane horned sash window, both with deep lintels.

The south-east range comprises two storeys and five bays, consisting of a late 18th-century double-fronted house to which a two-bay extension was added. The earlier house has a doorway with a stone surround featuring massive gritstone jambs and deep bonding stones below the lintel, flanked by recently installed 21st-century 2-over-2 pane sashes beneath deep stone lintels. The first-floor window frames are of matching design, their lintels set at eaves level. The extension to the right has a doorway and single window opening, with 21st-century 2-over-2 pane sash frames throughout. Two-storey lean-to extensions to both parts of the building exist to the rear, one in brick and the other in stone, with a 21st-century lean-to addition constructed at right angles to the brick extension and covered with blue clay tile.

INTERIOR

At the time of inspection, much of the interior was undergoing repair with defective plasterwork and joinery removed. The former public house area retains a small servery incorporating a sash window and settles of early 20th-century date. The fire surround dates to the late 19th or early 20th century, but the large plain stone fireplace behind reflects the building's earlier origins. Adjacent is a dry cellar with stone benching around the perimeter. At right angles to the dry cellar, to the rear, is a barrel-vaulted wet cellar with a brick rear wall and ceiling, while the remainder of the walls are stone. The cellar floor contains a brick channel, with a salting trough and salting stones around the perimeter. Iron hooks and bars are attached to the ceiling, and a ventilation shaft extends vertically from the cellar to ground surface behind the main building.

The later 18th-century house contains two plain late 18th-century stone hearth surrounds with cast iron hob grates to the first-floor rooms. The roof structure has been largely renewed but retains a single tie beam truss made up of roughly-shaped rather than sawn timbers. The 19th-century house has a stick baluster staircase with turned newel posts and a tall ground-floor fireplace.

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

The present complex evolved from a small mid-to-late 18th-century dwelling and attached dairy, later enlarged and then adapted to form a public house, before further extension created an additional dwelling. An early 20th-century photograph shows the earlier parts forming the public house, with multi-pane sash and casement frames and sign boards above the doorways. The building was the last of three public houses in the village serving quarry men and lead miners. The name "Miners Standard" refers to the dish used by miners for measuring lead ore. The building exemplifies vernacular building traditions and reflects the historical development of the settlement, where lead mining and quarrying replaced agriculture as major sources of employment.