Grove House

Summary

House, built in the late C18 by the owners of Kirk Mill, extended in the mid- to later C19.

Reasons for Designation

Grove House of late-C18 date and extended in the mid- to late C19, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* a largely intact late-C18 dwelling which falls within the 1700-1850 time-frame when there is a presumption in favour of listing;
* the articulation of the principal elevation and the good use of materials, combine to produce an attractive composition;
* it retains a largely intact plan-form and a suite of original late-C18 features including a staircase, doors and fitted cupboards, unified by the incorporation of a reeded decoration;
* it illustrates the conventions of a higher status dwelling modified by a vernacular approach within a strong local context.

Historic interest:

* constructed by the owners of one of the earliest cotton spinning mills in England, which included the pioneering designer of textile machinery Peter Atherton.

Group value:

* it benefits from a spatial, historic and functional group value with the Grade II-listed Kirk Mill and Kirk House.

History

Grove House is situated adjacent to Kirk Mill (Grade II) on the northern fringe of Chipping. It is thought to date from the late C18, when it was built by the mill owners of the second cotton-spinning company, established after the first went bankrupt in 1787. At this time the owners were Peter Atherton, his son in law Ellis Houlgrave (cotton manufacturer), William Harrison and John Rose (spinner). It is possible that the new dwelling was partially fashioned from an earlier building on the site, and it has been suggested that it was constructed as a house for one of the mill owners. The building is thought to largely retain its original plan form. In 1793 a new mill owner's residence, Kirk House (Grade II) was constructed, at which time it is thought that Grove House became the mill manager’s residence.

Following the decline of the cotton spinning industry, the mill and its associated buildings were sold in 1866 to H J Berry who used them as a chair-making factory until 2010; Grove House was occupied by members of the Berry Family until 2017. Historic mapping indicates that a half-width, single-storey extension and slightly later lean-to were added to the east gable between 1844 and 1892. At an unknown date, the east gable of the building containing the chimney flues and stacks was modified and partially rebuilt, indicated by unbonded quoins to the north-east corner and a projecting moulded eaves cornice to the south-east corner. The fenestration to the north elevation has also been modified.

Kirk Mill was built on the site of a medieval corn mill in 1785; it was a water-powered cotton mill, and is one of the north-west's oldest surviving cotton mills and a rare example of an Arkwright-type mill nationally. One of its original owners Peter Atherton (1741-1799) was a pioneering designer and manufacturer of textile machinery; Atherton was also one of Arkwright’s first partners and later became one of the most successful cotton spinners in Britain.

Details

House, late C18 for the owners of Kirk Mill, extended mid-later C19.

MATERIALS: local squared, water-shot sandstone to the front and sides; slobbered sandstone to the rear. Welsh slate roof coverings.

PLAN: L-shaped comprising a late-C18 rectangular range oriented north to south, with a mid- to later-C19 single-storey eastern extension and lean-to.

EXTERIOR: an asymmetric sandstone building of two-bays and two-storeys plus attic, beneath a pitched roof of slate. There are full-height quoins to the south-west and north-west corners, part-height quoins to the south east corner, and full-height quoins to the north-east corner, whose long quoins project out from a modified east gable.

The main (south) elevation faces away from the mill, and has a moulded eaves cornice that projects slightly to the east beyond the gable end, further suggesting remodelling of the gable. The round-arched entrance to the west end of the elevation has a six-panel door with a fanlight over, set within a plain surround with impost blocks. To the right there is a single window opening to the ground and first floors, set within plain surrounds with projecting sills, each fitted with a 10-over-10 unhorned sliding sash window. Rainwater goods are cast-iron. The west gable has a window opening in a plain rectangular surround to each floor: a tall Tudor-arched frame to the ground, a horned sash frame to the first and a fixed four-pane frame to the attic. The east gable has an attic window and a chimney stack to each roof pitch linking to a pair of flues within the thickness of the wall. Attached to the rear of the east gable is a shallow, single-storey extension in matching stone with a 10-over-10 sash window frame to the south elevation and a single window to the east gable, which also has an attached, later lean-to extension. The rear (north) elevation has a blocked ground floor window with a stone lintel and a large inserted camber-headed window within a concrete surround to the ground and first floors. The rear entrance has a convex-moulded stone surround with corner bosses and a six-panel door. The rear elevation of the eastern extension has an inserted C20 bow window.

INTERIOR: an entrance passage with replacement narrow floorboards, has openings to a south and north reception room; both openings have moulded and reeded architraves with six-panel doors. The south reception room has panelled shutters and soffit to the window; there is also a picture rail and a fitted cupboard with reeded decoration and leaded upper lights to the right of a simple stone fireplace. The north reception room retains wide floorboards and a fitted cupboard with a reeded surround and leaded upper lights, and a fireplace with an inserted Edwardian timber chimney piece. There is an inserted arched entrance to the south reception room, and a six-panel door opens into the mid- to later-C19 extension, which has a large stone fireplace to the west wall. The original straight flight with winder staircase is retained to the north-east corner; it is possible that it has been turned through 180 degrees, although there is little evidence of it having been modified to fit a changed position. It has simple stick balusters, a closed string with reeded decoration, moulded newel posts and a moulded handrail that is ramped to the first floor double newel posts, where there is also a balustrade of stick balusters. The first floor has a reeded architrave at the top of the stairs and six panel doors to the rooms (one is a replacement); one room retains a fitted cupboard with reeded mouldings, to the right of a small stone fireplace. The staircase rises to the attic storey where boarded wooden doors are retained to the partitioned spaces, and parts of the original roof structure are exposed including purlins supported on stone corbels.

Sources

Websites
Information on Peter Atherton, accessed 30-07-2019 from https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Peter_Atherton
Kirk Mill Archaeological Building Investigation; Oxford Archaeology North, August 2013, accessed 30-07-2019 from https://library.thehumanjourney.net/4403/1/Report%20All.pdf

Other
Grove House, Chipping: Heritage Statement; S Pullen, April 2019

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry