Description

LITTLE TIMBLE HIGH LANE
SE 15 SE
(east side, off)
6/55 Swinsty Hall
- I

Large house. Late C16 - early C17 for Francis Wood and Henry Robinson.
Coursed squared grit-stone and ashlar, graduated stone slate roof. Of
3 builds. The main range of 3 storeys and 4 bays. Recessed west range
attached to left of 2 storeys, 2 bays and 2-storey, 3-bay range attached at
right angle to the rear west range. Quoins and plinth. Main range has
gabled 3-storeyed porch projecting to bay 1; the storeyed hall to bays 2 and
3 and a wide projecting gabled wing, bay 4. Bays 3 and 4 project to the
rear as a gable stair wing with small heated rooms, the stairs reached from
the rear of the hall at the side of the external lateral stack. The porch
has a deeply moulded round arch with responds and 3 roses in relief on the
soffit, stone shelves or benches and a triangular-headed inner entrance,
with moulded chamfer and fern-leaf motif in the spandrels. Ogee-moulded
windows throughout. 6-light mullion-and-transom window to porch first floor
returning as cross windows to left and right returns. 3 stepped lights to
gable. Dripmoulds to ground- and first-floor porch openings, hoodmoulds to
all remaining windows. Bays 2 and 3: 10-light mullion-and-transom window
with 2 king mullions (straight chamfered) to ground and to first floors; two
2-light mullioned windows under eaves. Bay 4: a 4-light mullion window
lights the basement. 6-light mullion-and-transom windows to ground and
first floors, each with a king mullion; and window of 4 stepped lights to
gable, 2 cross windows to left return to ground and first floors. Gables to
bays 1 and 4 have elaborate shaped kneelers carrying tall corniced pyramidal
finials. Corniced external stack right. Rear facade of main range: deep-
chamfered segmental-arched doorway to projecting stair wing which has 2-, 3-
and 4-light mullion windows under hoodmoulds,. shaped kneelers, gable coping
and a corniced gable stack. To right is the massive external hall stack
with rebuilt banded shaft, a 2-light window to right again. Left return:
low west range attached to left; the scar of a pitched roof at first-floor
level. Facade of west range: original central entrance with roll-moulded
lintel and quoined jambs is now blocked and the inserted doorway far right
has plain jambs and the lintel inscribed "T. ? S.". Cavetto-moulded
recessed chamfered mullion windows: of 6 and 5 lights to ground floor, of
5 lights above. Hollow-moulded kneeler and gable coping to left; central
and end rebuilt banded stacks. Facade of rear range facing rear yard of
main range has 2-storey porch with chamfered quoined surround to entrance,
shallow triangular-headed lintel. Stepped 3-light window under a hoodmould
in gable; shaped kneelers, gable coping and crocketted finial at apex.
Recessed chamfered mullion windows throughout: of 2 and 4 lights with
hoomould. Massive stack to right gable with 3 diagonal corniced flues.
Rear: 2- and 3-light windows under hoodmoulds, a sash window inserted ground
floor centre. Interior, main range: entrance passage has blocked doorway
through to the west range: entrance right into hall, with chamfered
segmental arch to large fireplace in the rear wall; at the east end a short
flight of 5 steps to a wooden platform enclosed by a balustrade with double
balusters and carved scrolled frieze. The platform is at the level of the
floor of the east wing, containing the solar or 'oak room' and small room to
rear. These 2 rooms have original pegged plank doors and silvered fittings.
The oak room contains panelling with scrolled frieze and an overmantel with
3 round arches in relief containing stylised flower motifs. The stone
surround is ovolo-moulded with a shallow triangular head; to left of the
fireplace the panelling projects slightly and encloses a small closet or
privy chamber. The windows contain glazing bars, some wooden, and glass
" R 1672"
painted with H G . The rear room has 2 cross beams with reeded
chamfer stops carried on corbels. Original beams and doors throughout;
the room above the oak room has a shallow-segmental-arched fireplace with a
deep chamfer; the door is inscribed "WR 1745"; the panelled partition in the
room. over the hall is reused and has a central door with panels above
decorated with scrolls and leaves and inscribed "IR · IR 1639". The stairs
are stone, of short straight flights and extend from the cross wing basement
to the third floor within the roof space. The roof structure is very fine,
the hall and the cross wing each having 2 arch-braced collar-beam trusses
with short king posts and cusped wind braces to 2 tiers of purlins and
ridge; a smaller version over the porch; the timbers have plain chamfers.
The feet of the trusses rest on stone corbels. Interior of west range to
left: a large back-to-back fireplace to ground floor, the fire surround with
moulded chamfers to parlour left; this room has a fine beamed ceiling in
small squares; the timbers with deep chamfers and run-out stops. A roll
moulding to the fireplace first floor, left. 2 king-post roof trusses with
reused timbers. Interior of the rear range: entrance is onto the side of a
massive fireplace with deeply-chamfered cambered arch and oven in the rear
wall. Stone corbels carry spine beams. Swinsty Hall was owned by Ralph
Wood in 1575 when he made a marriage settlement for his son, Francis, with
Henry Sorell of North Grange. Henry was to pay Ralph a sum of money and he
was to build a house at Swinsty for Francis and Ellen, his daughter. In
1590 the hall became the property of Henry Robinson of Old Lound, Lancashire
and in 1596 Ralph and Francis Wood sold other cottages and land in Little
Timble to him. These historical events account for the varied architectural
features in the main range of the hall; the left gable scar, the cross
passage and lateral stack plan and the roof trusses suggest the late C16
house, but the facade with storeyed porch, stepped lights and glazing dated
1627 suggests that Henry Robinson drastically remodelled the building in the
early C17. The low range and rear block are also early C17 in character but
may pre-date the main range and have become service rooms after its
construction; in particular the rear block was probably an oven house or
kitchen wing. L Ambler, Old Halls of Yorkshire, 1913, p 53. W Grainge, The
History of the Timbles and Snowden, 1895. North Yorkshire and Cleveland
Vernacular Buildings Study Group Report No S247 (west and rear ranges only).
T Parkinson, Lays and Leaves of the Forest, 1882, p 196.

Listing NGR: SE1936453197

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17538219

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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