// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Windy Bank say to its friend? "You can bank on me blowing you away.
| Windy Bank | |
|---|---|
 The house in 2017 | |
  Location within Greater Manchester | |
General information | |
| Location | Blackstone Edge Old Road, Littleborough, Greater Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°38′47″N 2°05′07″W / 53.6464°N 2.0852°W |
| Years built | 1611 (rear wing) 1635 (main range) |
| Renovated | 19th and 20th century (altered) |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Windy Bank |
| Designated | 2 January 1967 |
| Reference no. | 1068536 |
Windy Bank is a historic house on Blackstone Edge Old Road in Littleborough, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is designated as a Grade II* listed building, recognised for its architectural and historical significance.
History
[edit]The house incorporates elements from different periods. Inscribed stones bear the initials "RL 1611" (Robert Lightowlers) and "IBI 1635" (John Butterworth), indicating phases of construction in the early 17th century.[1] The rear wing, dated 1611, predates the main range and was originally a free-standing single-cell house before being linked to the main structure in the mid-17th century. The main range dates from 1635.[1]
On 2 January 1967, it was designated a Grade II* listed building.[1]
Architecture
[edit]The building is constructed in hammer-dressed stone with a graduated stone-slate roof and retains elements of vernacular architecture.[1] It originally incorporated a timber-framed structure, possibly dating from the early 16th century, although this was later removed.[1] It follows a three-unit hearth-passage plan with a rear wing.[1]
The house stands on a projecting plinth and features quoins, gargoyles, and a roof with coped gables and finials.[1] Its plan is L-shaped, comprising a main range and a rear wing, the latter being the earliest section.[1] The property is of two storeys; the main range consists of four bays and is surmounted by three gables.[1] The windows are mullioned, some with hood moulds.[1]
Hartwell, Hyde, and Pevsner's Buildings of England volume Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East describes Windy Bank as "an excellent house of tough character".[2]
Interior
[edit]Internally, the hall contains arched and moulded fire surrounds, chamfered beams with stepped stops, and remnants of timber-framed roof trusses, including a king-post truss over the hall.[1] The rear wing preserves an original boarded door, a bread oven within the gable stack, and roof trusses with diagonal struts.[1] Later alterations include a 19th-century extension and 20th-century additions, such as a porch and garage.[1]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Historic England. "Windy Bank (Grade II*) (1068536)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004). Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East. The Buildings of England. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10583-5.
Buildings and structures in Rochdale Borough, England | ||
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| Listed buildings in | ||