Lock keeper's cottage, Stenwith (near Grantham), September 2015

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

HughieD

Super Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Supporting Member
Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2013
Messages
5,532
Reaction score
11,133
Location
People's Republic of South Yorkshire.
Don't normally do revisits - I try and get out to new sites when a window of opportunity arises. But I was just round the corner from here with a spare hour on my hands. And it is such a lovely place so I thought what the heck. One thing that occurred to me is that when you revisit a place - because you have taken somewhere in for the first time and the "Wow" factor has gone, you actually spend more time second time around looking at the detail. Anyhow - here's the history I found first time around. In terms of the state of the place compared to a year ago nothing too much has changed apart from some moron ripping the sink off the wall in the kitchen.

‘Lock House’ cottage is located on the Grantham-Nottingham canal which runs for 33 miles (53 km) between the two points falling through 18 locks to West Bridgford where it then joins the River Trent. It was built mainly to transport coal to Grantham. It opened in 1797, and its profitability steadily increased until 1841 when it was sold to a railway company, after which it declined in use. The last boat navigated the canal in 1929 and it was finally closed in 1936. The canal was used as a water supply for agricultures so post-closure it had its water levels maintained, although many of its 69 over-bridges were lowered.

Since the 1970s, the Grantham Canal Society have been heavily involved with its restoration, and two stretches are now navigable by small vessels. Full restoration will require a new route where the canal joins the Trent, as the A52 has effectively severed the original route. There is a similar issue at the Grantham end where the A1 embankment blocks the canal.

The late 18th Century two-bedroom cottage is set back from a section of the canal near Stenwith and was built to home the lock keeper for the near by lock.. It hit the news in 2007 when it failed to sell at auction at a guide price of £250,000 due to the lack of running water, electricity, bath-room and road access. The picture below dates from around this time.

Prior to coming on the market it was the home of a man in his 80's who used an earth closet in the back garden for WC, a tin tub as a bath and a wind-up gramophone to listen to music. Apparently built in 1794 and part of the Duke of Rutland’s estate, previous owners included John and Margaret Topps. The nearby lock was previously referred to as ‘Jack Topp’s Lock’.

Since its failure to sell at auction the cottage has remained empty and has started to fall into disrepair. Ironically the cottage became Grade II listed in December 2013. Today it now lies abandoned and rather forlorn; its garden overgrown and extensive outbuildings falling to pieces. All of the windows in the house itself are smashed but due to the roof being mostly intact, the structure of the house itself isn’t too bad.


Let's start with the lock in question:

21423640685_b5d5314982_b.jpgimg1746 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The first thing you come to is a series of out-buildings:

21423045245_c1fd8c5b42_b.jpgimg1732 by HughieDW, on Flickr

20801777283_3337a60b81_b.jpgimg1743 by HughieDW, on Flickr

21235077488_98d9a3c2eb_b.jpgimg1742 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Is this a start handle for an old car?

20800263564_59f3925af4_b.jpgimg1741 by HughieDW, on Flickr

My mate Marmite...or is it Bovril?

21422979165_067753ec1e_b.jpgimg1739 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A fridge in the garage?!

21234937500_ba869ce1d6_b.jpgimg1737 by HughieDW, on Flickr

21235196848_0740eb62ef_b.jpgimg1734 by HughieDW, on Flickr

On to the house itself:

21396577146_68e312e611_b.jpgimg1744 by HughieDW, on Flickr

21235758798_d6e0e6e65c_b.jpgimg1692 by HughieDW, on Flickr

20800861594_5bc7f04bb2_b.jpgimg1693 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Front elevation of this lovely two-up/two-down plus off-shot.

21397271226_ff923992cd_b.jpgimg1697 by HughieDW, on Flickr

20802381883_eb71969e27_b.jpgimg1698 by HughieDW, on Flickr

First to the kitchen. Range one still present and correct:

21397149126_8f9d675256_b.jpgimg1702 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Made in Grantham it was...

21235515768_27f56399a9_b.jpgimg1704 by HughieDW, on Flickr

But here's that aforementioned sink, now lying on the floor:

21236186369_34a3b67264_b.jpgimg1728 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Then to the dining room. Glad to report that Range 2 is intact:

21412176452_2e02d7163a_b.jpgimg1727 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And Pandora's box is still there:

21397177716_9329be6d76_b.jpgimg1699 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...and her tin too!

21235470818_3e6bf004dd_b.jpgimg1706 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The clock's now off the wall but still present:

20802196513_00642aafcf_b.jpgimg1707 by HughieDW, on Flickr

On to the lounge:

21236350739_c1362ae8f5_b.jpgimg1709 by HughieDW, on Flickr

21236320579_588544b059_b.jpgimg1712 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Upstairs we go:

21235098450_5743848075_b.jpgimg1714 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Bedroom one. The fireplace fairies haven't been a-calling yet:

21396916206_c12d17952c_b.jpgimg1715 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And bedroom two:

20802045023_0fcc3c3e33_b.jpgimg1716 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Time for tea before we leave?

21412190842_8322117f62_b.jpgimg1723 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!
 
Last edited:
Nice that is hughie..funny I was only talking about this place yesterday and added it to my list for a little tour of lincolnshire..your report has made me want to go more now.thank you
 
Nice that is hughie..funny I was only talking about this place yesterday and added it to my list for a little tour of lincolnshire..your report has made me want to go more now.thank you

My pleasure mate! There's a few decent and very different sites around here...
 
Great pictures HughieD :) Mikeymutt and I are visiting this in the near future and now I'm even more excited to see it after seeing your photos!

Cheers Rubex. Hope you get a good day as it is a pleasant walk down by the canal. Go to Scalford brick works too as it's near by and it is a very interesting and under-visted site.
 
Cheers Rubex. Hope you get a good day as it is a pleasant walk down by the canal. Go to Scalford brick works too as it's near by and it is a very interesting and under-visted site.

Thanks HughieD :) we will definitely check that one out!
 
oldscrote;312703.The car starting handle looks a brace and bit to me[/QUOTE said:
Ir's a brace alright, but not of your Carpenter's variety. It is the rusted and rotted remains of a 'Wheel Brace' - the rotating metal handgrips indicating that it could be a 'Halfords' Deluxe' item, first marketed in the mid 1930's. A manufacturing weakness, meant that tool would snap in half when abused in trying to free overtightened nuts. When overtightened nuts were encountered - it was very common practise to place brace on the nut and with the central handgrip parallel to the ground, support the upper rotating handgrip by suitably extending the screw jack. The nut was freed by stamping on the central handgrip. The aforementioned weakness invariably meant that the brace eventually bent and snapped/twisted off at lower end of the central grip.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top