Building record 4642 - Mareknowles

<1> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R, 07/03/2025 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

Farmstead, now a ruin. There are five photographs on the geograph website.

One photograph from 2007 (see 8) shows the south-eastern building. The building is stone built with larger blocks used for the quoins. All the stonework is dressed (ashlar). The roof is in poor repair and is sagging, but is still extant. It is constructed of stone slates decreasing in size towards the apex. There are two stone mullioned windows at ground floor level on the south-eastern elevation, and one on the north-eastern gable end at the level of a possible second storey.

A further photograph from 2006 (see 8) shows the north-western elevation. There are two further mullioned windows at ground level which have been blocked up with stone and a doorway inserted in-between. To their right (south-west) is the original doorway, with a large, potentially later window, to its immediate left on the storey above. To the right is a probable extension. Also stone built, but lacking the quoins on the original building. The roof is slightly lower, or has a slightly steeper pitch, and is covered with smaller and regularly sizes slates or tiles. There is a doorway and the upper courses of the wall have been rebuilt in brick.

This is the only building at Mareknowles depicted on the Wincle tithe map (see 4), the rest of the farmstead not being subject to the tax. The colouring of the building suggests that the building was being used as a farm building at this point, suggesting that the evident changes, blocked windows and new doorway, may date from the early nineteenth century.

A photograph from 2007 (see 8) shows the north-eastern and south-western elevations of the north-western building. The north-western part of the building is stone built for half its length, changing somewhat irregularly at the doorway to brick. The doorway has a red sandstone lintel and quoins, but the brick part has no quoins. To the right (north-west) of the door is a ground floor window. The roof, in very poor repair, seems to be of a similar construction to the south-eastern building.

Attached at the north-western end is a stone extension, which appears to be constructed with stone with a rougher finish.

Attached at the south-eastern end is a brick extension built on a plinth comprising at least two courses of large red ashlar sandstone blocks. This building projects out from the existing elevation. The re are two windows at the ground floor on this side and one at the first floor on the south-eastern elevation. This part of the building is in very poor repair, the roof has largely collapsed, as has some of the south-eastern elevation, where a large vertical crack is evident.

A further photograph from 2007 (see 8) shows the building from the south-east. It shows what appears to be timber framing associated with the stone and brick part of the building. It may be this that a photographs from 2006 shows part in grater detail. The photograph shows timber framing, one part with carved details, carpenters marks where two timbers are joined and a dated carved inscription: 1618 RHMA.

The preceding 2007 photograph shows an ashlar stone farm building with a stone slate roof in the foreground. The upper parts of the gable end walls have been rebuilt in brick.

<2> Bryant, A., 1831, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2114.

This map depicts the farmstead and labels it Mere Knowls.

<3> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Vol I p.169 (Book). SCH3228.

The earliest documentary reference dates from 1831 (see 2).

<4> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 435/2, 1848 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

Only the south-eastern building is depicted on this map, the rest of the farmstead was unsurveyed. The colouring of the building suggests that the building was being used as a farm building at this point

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ9465, 1871-1888 (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.

This map depicts the farmstead and labels it Mareknowles. It depicts two long rectangular buildings on a parallel north-west to south east axis, but not directly opposite each other. To their north is a small square building and two the south is a smaller rectangular building orientated north-east to south-west. Possible small orchards are located to the immediate south of the farmstead.

<6> National Remote Sensing Centre Ltd, 1992-3, National Remote Sensing Centre County Survey (1992-1993), 122/93 no.122, 22/10/1993 (Aerial Photograph). SCH5297.

The buildings appear to still have their roofs, but the farmstead appears disused.

<7> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Land Line and Master Map Vector Maps, 02/12/2021 (Maps and Plans). SCH4491.

<8> Geograph Project Limited, 2005-2025, Geograph, SJ9465 (Web Site). SCH9631.

<9> Unassigned, 1886, Records of the Swythamley Hall Estate of the Trafford and Brocklehurst families. Sale catalogue: Mare Knowles, Wincle (Paper Archive). SCH9760.

Not seen.