Dene Top Cottage

Dene Top Cottage is a house that may date from the late 17th century or early 18th century. It has been significantly altered and partially rebuilt in the 19th century. The building is constructed of coursed rubble and has tiled roofs. Originally, it was designed as a three-unit plan house positioned end-on to Cromford Hill. The roadside unit was replaced by a cross range in the early 19th century, which is shown on the 1841 Tithe Map. The cottage is two storeys high and features a symmetrical front with a two-window range. All the windows have large rectangular lintels and later 19th-century four-pane horned sashes. There are two rendered ridge stacks, and the left side of the building is also rendered.

The rear range is the older section, displaying irregular window placements. It includes one large two-light window with a renewed mullion and a late 20th-century top-opener with small panes on the first floor. There are two smaller ground-floor windows under large lintels that flank a broad doorway with a half-glazed door, which may indicate the original entrance. Internal evidence suggests that the 19th-century range replaced one of the original three units. Dene Top Cottage is included for its group value with Nos 142-150 Cromford Hill and is one of the few houses that remain from the pre-Arkwright hamlet of Cromford.