Heskin - Brook House aka Windmill Inn

Name: The Brook House aka The Windmill Inn

Address: Barmskin Lane, Heskin

The pub is first recorded on the 1825 Baines Directory when a William Wright was the landlord; at this time it was known as the Windmill Inn.

1825 Directory

On the 1841 census it was then referred to as the Brook House although in 1843 the landlord Thomas Norris is recorded in insolvency records running the "Windmill Inn", and over the decades that followed it fluctuated between the two names.  

The building was originally called Howe Brook House as shown on the 1845 map below; built in the early 1800’s alongside Howe Brook as a residential property it later became a pub using the name of the Windmill Inn.

Listed landlords at the Brook House were William Wright (1825-), Thomas Norris (1841-43), Peter Sergeant (1851), Thomas Bentham (1861-81), Joseph Haydock (1891), Hugh Morris (1901) and John Green (1911-1935).

1841 Census

Bell's New Weekly Messenger 09 July 1843

1851 Census

1861 Census

Preston Chronicle 02 June 1866

1871 Census

1881 Census

1891 Census

1901 Census

1911 Census

Lancashire Evening Post 06 September 1935

It is located on Barmskin Lane in Heskin and closed at the beginning of 2012 and was sold by auction, at the same time surrendering its premises licence. The pub is currently subject to a planning application for conversion to a private dwelling. The application for conversion to a private dwelling, which was recommended for refusal, was withdrawn prior to the Chorley Borough Council Development Control Committee meeting on 30 October but has later been approved and the building has been tastefully renovated as shown below (thanks to Peter Dickinson Architects for the image source).