Town Close, Cartmel, Cumbria: Heritage Assessment

The documented history of Town Close, Cartmel, which is a Grade II Listed building, is very limited, but the Listing suggests that it is likely to be 18th century. Cartographic evidence shows it was in existence by the beginning of the 19th century and more detailed maps of the later 19th century onwards show that it formed part of a row of properties extending from a bank to the north. It was possibly subdivided in the late 19th century when the garden to the west was also split in half.

A site visit revealed that the building retained many elements of 18th century date, including numerous doors and a cupboard, and the east elevation retained its original (or very early) sliding sash casements and panelled front door below a stone canopy. There was some evidence that the cellar originally had a second entrance from the yard to the east, so the two halves may have been used separately, although there was no evidence for a second staircase elsewhere in the property. However, the building has been substantially altered, with the replacement of almost all of the original windows and door in the west elevation, the loss of all of the original fireplaces, and the stripping of most of the internal doors and shutters. Despite this, the house still retains a large number of early or original features and represents a good example of a small 18th century house.

The full report will be made available on the Archaeology Data Service website.