Former gaol to be transformed into family home

The 19th-century Illingworth Gaol and Stocks will be sold on the open market after restoration is complete

A former 19th-century gaol - complete with its original stocks - could be turned into a family home.

Plans have been submitted to convert the Grade-II listed building in Illingworth, West Yorkshire.

The two-cell gaol originally opened in1829 and was discontinued in 1860 - though the stocks bear inscription dates as far back as 1697.

The proposed work includes repairing the failing roof, retaining the original stone stairs and cleaning the stonework.

The stocks would have been used as a form of public punishment for criminals

Above the door of the property a stone plaque reveals the buildings penal history in a lengthy inscription starting with the line 'let him that stole steal no more'.

The building, previously owned by Calderdale Council, was sold at auction for £43,000 earlier this year.

It has stood empty for many years and has "significant deterioration," the council said.

Previous planning approval was granted in 2017 for repair, alteration and change of use of Illingworth Gaol and Stocks to form an educational heritage centre, but the approval expired before any works took place.

A stone plaque has engravings with a 'warning' dating back to 1823

Greenstone Design said, if approved, the repairs to the building and stocks would be "sensitive and sympathetic".

Meetings with Calderdale heritage staff were also held in the summer to discuss the situation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

After 1860, the building was leased to Illingworth Industrial Provident Society who used it as a storeroom, and it then opened as a co-operative store in November 1863.

By 1978 Calderdale Council had adopted the gaol, which was then leased as a private garage.

Illingworth Gaol and Stocks Preservation Group was set up in 2013 to attempt to preserve the building and turn it into a museum and attraction, but the group is no longer active, according to council documents.

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