1 and 2 Midland Cottages

No. 1 and 2 Midland Cottages are a pair of cottages, now combined into a single dwelling, dating from around 1850. They were designed by Joseph Paxton for the Midland Railway. The cottages are constructed of finely coursed squared stone with stone dressings, and have a slate roof with a central ridge stack built of brick on a stone base. A further tall brick stack is located on the rear outshot. The design is in a simple Italianate style. The cottages are two storeys high and have a four-window front that faces away from the road. The ground floor windows are round-arched with 2/2 sash windows containing ornamental glazing bars; the upper sashes or windows have arched lights above. The ground floor windows have projecting arched heads supported on impost blocks, and all windows are set beneath sills supported on corbels. Each gable end features a stone porch with a flat hood supported on unusual carved brackets with pendentives. The rear elevation incorporates two windows over a shallow hipped roof outshut, which is an original feature.

Historical records from the Midland Railway, dated August 10, 1850, indicate that Joseph Paxton was commissioned to prepare the plans, let the works, and superintend the construction of two houses, an office, and four cottages at Rowsley station. This was in response to the need for station staff to live closer to their place of work. Joseph Paxton, who was already working on the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition and had previously served as Head Gardener and agent at Chatsworth House, undertook numerous notable works there. The railway line to Rowsley, the closest station to Chatsworth, had opened in June 1849, and that summer saw 80,000 visitors to Chatsworth, many of whom would have travelled through Rowsley station, reinforcing the need for railway staff living nearby. The cottages represent a fine quality, little-altered example of railway housing designed by a distinguished architect and landscape gardener, and hold historic interest due to their construction to accommodate railway staff responding to the large number of visitors passing through the station.