Spire farm development
 

Good afternoon
as many of you will know spire farm accrington is undergoing a major facelift and will continue to do so over the next 15 months, the project is extremely costly and as to be done very sympatheticly to bring it back to its original position.

On top of this the outside barns and buildings need to be resited and in conjunction with hyndburn planning we want to be as neutral as possible,especially within the curtilage

as many other accrington folk sHow an interest in spire and its ongoing development i am very pleased to answer any concerns or questions you have,or even ideas on the intense landscaping that will be carried out.

Robert h foy:)

Re: Spire farm development
 

Errr......never heard of it. Where is it?

I hope you're not going to stick some wind turbines there, where ever it may be.

Re: Spire farm development
 

Restored to what date, when it was High Riley, prior to 1828 ?, the tower which is now part of the barn, which then became known as Spire Farm, once stood on land behind High Riley Cottages. Or how about how it was when Richard de Riley moved there, when he was appointed steward by de Lacy.

Retlaw.

Spire farm
 

Here you are Tealeaf.

This photo was taken c1928.
To get to it you used to have to go up the old lane, past the college, at the top of Sandy Lane in Accrington. Quite a nice walk in the summer time, calling at Bluebell Wood on the way.
Now, you can reach it by using the "highway in the sky" - the motor.

Re: Spire farm development
 

OK....now I know.The tower certainly looks like a late Georgian/early Victorian folly, but I don't know about the rest.

Re: Spire farm
 

Blue Bell Wood were on way to Slate Pits Farm up Plantation St way, just below where the Red Shale used to be.
Retlaw.

Re: Spire farm
 

Excuse me Retlaw! As I said, we used to go up by the college, eventually take the pathway to the right and call at what WE called Bluebell Woods!!!!!!!! We used to spend hours in that area when kids!!!!!

Re: Spire farm
 

Youv'e got false memory syndrome, go up Sandy Lane, past Broad Oak Fold, first left was Lemmings Pad, carry on up Sandy Lane, the next buildings were New House Farm, the path facing it was Hambledon Lane, which went past Tag Clough to Lower Whithams. Carrying on up Sandy Lane past New House and the next farm was Leafield Barn, then High Riley Cottages, and on your left was Spire farm.
Remember when I was in the Fire Brigade farms, access and water suplies was my speciality.
The only wood that was destroyed was when the
Easterly bypass was built, as it went past Slate Pits.

Retlaw.

Re: Spire farm development
 

Bluebell Wood that I remember was up the road by the side of Arden Hall then instead of turning towards Coppice or Slate Pits go round to the right and the wood was on the left before you came to Spire Farm.

Re: Spire farm development
 

Correct near Brocklehurst Cottages. If I'm not mistaken its correct name was Brocklehurst Wood.

Retlaw.

Re: Spire farm development
 

I have read many of your postings re spire and find them informative, 2,3, 0r 400 years ago is not mine or the plannings directive, i meant with the interior being done in traditional furnishings, arched openings back as they were, the french doors on the east wing,removed and the original opening put back the copings on the roof, the removal of the 50m2 building at the back, a new sundial cobbled grounds and more. Any reasonable suggestions wil be considered that help these plans. Sorry and the concrete stairs reopened in the tower that im told was added to the building in the 1800?

Re: Spire farm development
 

Its just past high riley cottages, and no im not going to put wind turbines in a conservation area or spoil it with them.

Re: Spire farm development
 

Retlaw do you know if spire farm was used by monks at one time?
And did cromwell stay there to rest whilst fighting charles 1?

Re: Spire farm development
 

Robert de Lacy granted the lands of Accrington to the monks of Kirkstall in 1192, overriding a previous grant made by his father to Hugh son of Leofwine the Saxon.
The monks established vacaries (farms) on the newly aquired lands after chucking the people of Accrington out, these vacaries were at High Riley, Friar Hill, Antley, Henheads, Iconhurst, Laund and Fernihalgh.
Never found any documentation to show that Cromwell even knew Accrington existed.
When the monks left in circa 1280, the descendant of the de Lacy's appointed a steward to oversee his holdings, he took the name Riley, so he was Robert de Riley, and lived in the vacary known as High Riley
The additions to the barn when the watch tower was moved from behind High Riley Cottages and built into the barn, occured somtime around 1830, a change is shown in the rateable value from the 1828 one, and another made in 1835.
We once had a fire at Spire Farm in the early 1960's and it took 2 other pumps just to relay water to the site, each machine carries 500 yards of hose, hope your water supply has improved, had to relay it from Hambledon lodge.
Retlaw.

Spire farm development
 

This is for RHFoy, bet the asking price makes you "sit up" and smile.

Also, although Retlaw will no doubt criticise this statement, an old newspaper article states" Another interesting bit of information given by the late Mr Whitham is that an old lady named Betty Ingham (hee Ashworth) who died at Gallows Hall Farm in 1856, aged 96 years, used to say she remembered the building of the present tower at the Spire Farm. This bears out the statement of the late Mr Abram, the historian of Blackburn, to the effect that the tower was removed from old High Riley to its present site in 1801"

There was an Old Homesteads series on your property in the Accrington Observer in September 1917. If you want a photocopy Mr RHFoy just let me know.