Numbers 1-3 College Fold

Numbers 1-3 College Fold are three cottages, originally Rathmell Academy, dating from 1686, with alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. They were built for Richard Frankland (c1630-98). The building is constructed of roughly dressed rubble stone, with stone dressings, and has a slate roof. It was originally designed with a lobby entry plan. The cottages are two storeys high and were originally four bays wide. Each entrance has a plain surround and a plank door; the left-hand entrance is within a 20th-century porch. The windows are predominantly three-light stepped windows with chamfered mullions, casements, and fixed lights. The central ground floor window was originally four-light with chamfered mullions, and is now a two-light window. The right-hand bay has 20th-century windows on each floor, with sash windows and glazing bars. The right-hand gable end has ridge stacks. At the rear of the building, a raised lintel is inscribed "F 1686" (Richard & Elizabeth Frankland), and there is a single rear window with a chamfered surround and a basket arch above. Frankland founded the academy in 1670 as the first non-conformist college.