- Joined
- Jan 6, 2013
- Messages
- 5,574
- Reaction score
- 11,213
1. The History
Cook’s Hole is a remote farmhouse located south-west of the Leicestershire village of Thornhaugh. Now surrounded by iron-stone quarry workings, the farmhouse appears to be an18th century building with an older 17th Century core, along with a small 19th Century addition at its western end. At the time of the 1838 Tythe map, it appears to be the only isolated farmstead in the parish. The 19th Century extension is not shown on the 1838 map but appears on an 1871 map. The Farmhouse is rectangular with wings to both the north and south. The north wing is to the west end of the range and the south wing to the centre. The walls are constructed from coursed local limestone with a Collyweston slate roof. The house is one-and-a-half-storeys high with the rooflines of north and south wings slightly lower than the main range.
Map extract from 1885:
It is likely the house was originally built as a single dwelling and then latterly enlarged with the addition of north and south wings. However, a 1900 OS map appears to indicate it as three dwellings, backed up by the increase in the number of chimney stacks and entrances. It’s hard to pinpoint when the house was abandoned, however, it was most likely to have been in second half of the twentieth century post-1957 when the land at Cook’s Hole was granted planning permission for the working of minerals. Augean now owns the 54-acre site in which the house is situated in the middle of. The house was Grade II listed in March 2010 as a rare example of a substantially unmodernised house of this age, constructed of local materials in accordance with local custom and tradition. To the north, quarrying activity continues while to the south old quarry workings are being backfilled to return the landscape to its original state. This was supposed to been have completed by December 2013 but in 2012 Peterborough City Council successfully applied to have the period extended to to December 2028 as the rate of backfill had been much slower than anticipated.
Google Map’s picture of the farmhouse’s location:
2. The Explore
After a nearby failure at Collyweston Bomb store I decided to give this place a crack. Credit to @BikinGlynn for discovering this place and previously exploring it. After parking up, it was a little bit of a hike over to the house. Given the current tightening up of residential properties, I did wonder about doing a report. However I was swayed after finding out it was Grade II Listed. Typically it would be hard to find out info about rural abandonments like Cook’s Hole but due to its Listed status, there was some info about the place.
In the end, while it being nothing spectacular, I enjoyed the relaxed wander, having battled through the nettles. For me, old houses like this with some age are nicer to look round than the usual hoarder “everything left behind” places. Sometimes less is more. Also this place hasn’t been documented properly with few people going round here bar Bikin’ Glynn and some bloke with a black spray can.
3. The Pictures
Looking at the range from the North:
The roof has gone here:
Round the back we go:
And into the ground floor:
The property has long since been relieved of its range:
Upstairs we go:
Some of the many magazines lying around:
Horse and Hound magazine from December 25th 1951:
Anyone for darts?
The pretty basic bathroom:
Back down we go:
A legless pool table:
Some rusting old tins:
A built-in fireplace:
Some bare cupboards:
Some old paperwork:
The bloke with the black spray can strikes again:
Two mirrors, one cracked, one OK:
Love this fantastically dated curtain:
CONTINUED:
A woollen poodle bottle holder!
And these ace retro-glasses:
Some incredibly old bottles:
Ensemble of pots and tins:
r
And old kitchen utensils:
Finally from the interior, an old TV:
This outhouse is in fairly good nick:
A second outhouse in poorer condition:
Bye-bye Cook’s Hole:
Cook’s Hole is a remote farmhouse located south-west of the Leicestershire village of Thornhaugh. Now surrounded by iron-stone quarry workings, the farmhouse appears to be an18th century building with an older 17th Century core, along with a small 19th Century addition at its western end. At the time of the 1838 Tythe map, it appears to be the only isolated farmstead in the parish. The 19th Century extension is not shown on the 1838 map but appears on an 1871 map. The Farmhouse is rectangular with wings to both the north and south. The north wing is to the west end of the range and the south wing to the centre. The walls are constructed from coursed local limestone with a Collyweston slate roof. The house is one-and-a-half-storeys high with the rooflines of north and south wings slightly lower than the main range.
Map extract from 1885:
It is likely the house was originally built as a single dwelling and then latterly enlarged with the addition of north and south wings. However, a 1900 OS map appears to indicate it as three dwellings, backed up by the increase in the number of chimney stacks and entrances. It’s hard to pinpoint when the house was abandoned, however, it was most likely to have been in second half of the twentieth century post-1957 when the land at Cook’s Hole was granted planning permission for the working of minerals. Augean now owns the 54-acre site in which the house is situated in the middle of. The house was Grade II listed in March 2010 as a rare example of a substantially unmodernised house of this age, constructed of local materials in accordance with local custom and tradition. To the north, quarrying activity continues while to the south old quarry workings are being backfilled to return the landscape to its original state. This was supposed to been have completed by December 2013 but in 2012 Peterborough City Council successfully applied to have the period extended to to December 2028 as the rate of backfill had been much slower than anticipated.
Google Map’s picture of the farmhouse’s location:
2. The Explore
After a nearby failure at Collyweston Bomb store I decided to give this place a crack. Credit to @BikinGlynn for discovering this place and previously exploring it. After parking up, it was a little bit of a hike over to the house. Given the current tightening up of residential properties, I did wonder about doing a report. However I was swayed after finding out it was Grade II Listed. Typically it would be hard to find out info about rural abandonments like Cook’s Hole but due to its Listed status, there was some info about the place.
In the end, while it being nothing spectacular, I enjoyed the relaxed wander, having battled through the nettles. For me, old houses like this with some age are nicer to look round than the usual hoarder “everything left behind” places. Sometimes less is more. Also this place hasn’t been documented properly with few people going round here bar Bikin’ Glynn and some bloke with a black spray can.
3. The Pictures
Looking at the range from the North:
The roof has gone here:
Round the back we go:
And into the ground floor:
The property has long since been relieved of its range:
Upstairs we go:
Some of the many magazines lying around:
Horse and Hound magazine from December 25th 1951:
Anyone for darts?
The pretty basic bathroom:
Back down we go:
A legless pool table:
Some rusting old tins:
A built-in fireplace:
Some bare cupboards:
Some old paperwork:
The bloke with the black spray can strikes again:
Two mirrors, one cracked, one OK:
Love this fantastically dated curtain:
CONTINUED:
A woollen poodle bottle holder!
And these ace retro-glasses:
Some incredibly old bottles:
Ensemble of pots and tins:
rAnd old kitchen utensils:
Finally from the interior, an old TV:
This outhouse is in fairly good nick:
A second outhouse in poorer condition:
Bye-bye Cook’s Hole:
