Pilley is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a small settlement. It is likely to have consisted of farms built along the road with associated crofts running off perpendicularly. There are still two farms on this road but there are no known medieval buildings remaining. The current character of the village is dominated by the modern detached houses which were built after 1978. These replace a number of stone built terraced houses and courtyard buildings which are seen on the 1st edition maps and some terraces built in around 1900. There is partial legibility of the previous character of the village as some 18th/19th century buildings remain and there are still farms along this road. In 1851 over 60% of the working male inhabitants of Pilley were ironstone miners probably working at Tankersley Park (Jones 1995, 105).