Hoyle Ing House, Thornton and Allerton, Bradford

Summary

House with probable late-C15/early-C16 origins, rebuilt in the late-C16 with further later alterations. Coursed slender sandstone 'bricks' with ashlar dressings, stone slate roof. 2-storeys. Single-storey dairy added later, possibly in the C18

Description

House with probable late-C15/early-C16 origins, rebuilt in the late C16 with further later alterations. Coursed slender sandstone 'bricks' with ashlar dressings, stone slate roof. Two-storeys. Single-storey dairy added later, possibly in the C18.

PLAN: Hoyle Ing House is a tall linear gabled range aligned north-south with two rooms on each floor. The first floor is open to the roof at the northern end, but has been floored over at the southern end, and additional partitioning inserted to create a bathroom and dressing room. Attached to the south gable end is a gabled single-storey former dairy, which was added later, possibly in the C18. Attached to the east side of the building is a later, lower two-storey cottage, which is in separate ownership and does not form part of the Listing.

EXTERIOR: both the north and south gable ends of the building have apex coping stones decorated with a relief symbol; small finials rise behind. Set to the centre of the ridge is a large chimneystack with four diagonally-set flues. All of the building's windows have later replaced frames and glazing. The south gable end has a very large blocked-up 9-light window (the lower section is visible internally within the former dairy) to the first floor with a massive triangular lintel inscribed with the date 'AODNI 1588' and two sets of initials 'TL EL' (possibly referring to the Leventhorpe family). An identical lintel exists to the north gable end above a first-floor window, but the window itself has been altered to form a smaller three-light mullioned window. Attached in front of the south gable end, and cutting across the lower part of the first-floor window, is a probable C18 gabled, single-storey former dairy with a large three-light mullioned window to the south gable wall. The former dairy's west return has a small square window and blocked-up doorway (now converted into a small window), whilst the east return has a later blocked-up doorway and a later inserted window. The main range's north gable end is understood to have been rebuilt c.2000. It has a later inserted doorway to the ground-floor left and a three-light mullioned window to the right, which appears contemporary with that now occupying the first-floor level. The building's west side elevation has a number of later single-light and two-light mullioned windows of varying size, all but one of which are located to the ground floor. The east side elevation has a large ten-light mullioned and transomed window at the northern end of the first floor with diamond mullions. A small circular 'squint' sits below right with a triangular lintel. The squint is set between the floor levels, suggesting that it may have lighted a stair at one point. At the southern end of the east elevation on the first floor is a massive nine-light mullion and transomed window with diamond mullions and a triangular lintel; the top three lights of the window have been blocked up. Set to the ground floor below is another triangular lintel of a similar size, which sits above a narrower doorway with a modern replaced door. To the right is a later three-light mullioned window that appears to be contemporary with the adjacent altered opening and the later windows on the west elevation. Attached at a right angle to the east side of the building towards the northern end is a later, lower two-storey range that has been much altered and is a separate residence; this range is not included within the listing.

INTERIOR: internally there are mainly stone flag and floorboard floors (the latter hidden under modern carpets) throughout the building, along with ceiling beams and timber window lintels with very wide chamfers and straight-cut stops. Back-to-back fireplaces exist to the centre of the building with two fireplaces on each floor heating the four main rooms; all but one (the fireplace to the lounge has been rebuilt and its lintel replaced) have massive triangular stone lintels echoing those over the original exterior openings. One of the first-floor fireplaces is now hidden behind a modern partition wall in a bathroom.

The building's north entrance leads into a large ground-floor room that is now a kitchen. The kitchen has a replaced floor and a large timber 'y' post has been inserted as a support beneath a substantial ceiling beam running north-south. The room's windows, along with the rest of the building's mullioned and mullioned and transomed windows, have diamond mullions internally and some have been covered with a modern resin finish. The kitchen's east wall includes a large blocked-up ground-floor window with a triangular lintel and later shelving incorporated into the window recess. To the left is a smaller square, blocked-up opening. The room's fireplace is located to the south wall and to its right is a square salt/spice box-style recess. A single low step to the left of the central stack accesses a narrow passageway set alongside the eastern wall that leads through into the southern ground-floor room, which is now a lounge. Like the kitchen, the lounge also has a substantial ceiling beam that runs north-south, and it also has visible early chamfered floor joists. A doorway located at the northern end of the lounge's east wall has been blocked up and converted into a recess, but its large triangular stone lintel survives, along with the remains of the upper section of a Tudor-arched timber door frame. An enclosed main stair lies to the south-west corner of the lounge and has a later handrail and modern rail balustrade on the first-floor landing. Underneath the stair is a cupboard with a probable-C17 plank and batten door. A doorway with a stone architrave and replaced door exists to the lounge's south wall and accesses a flight of stone steps that lead down into a small cellar lying beyond the southern end of the building (underneath the later dairy), which has a barrel-vaulted ceiling, stone-flag floor and stone shelving. A two-light diamond-mullioned window exists to the cellar's south wall and to the floor is a shallow spring-water well. A later doorway, which is set to the right of the cellar entrance in the lounge's south wall, accesses a short flight of stone steps that lead up into the former dairy. The south gable end of the main range is visible within the dairy and includes a massive triangular stone lintel over a now blocked-up opening (possibly a window originally) that has also been altered to accommodate the internal doorway into the dairy. Above the lintel are the three blocked-up lower lights of the first-floor south window, the lintel of which is visible externally. Attached in front of this wall is what appears to be a stepped cheese press or shelving storage. The north-west corner of the former dairy has been converted into a small shower room.

The first floor has a passageway set alongside the west wall adjacent to the central stack that provides access to the northern room (now a bedroom), which is open to the roof and has visible side purlins and a large pegged king-post truss with angled struts. A small C20 mezzanine has been inserted at the southern end of the room above the fireplace and is accessed by a ladder stair. A cupboard has been inserted into the chimneybreast on the mezzanine level. Located at the southern end of the room's east wall is a doorway with a timber lintel incorporating an incredibly wide chamfer with straight-cut stops that would have originally accessed a now lost east wing (possibly a hall range). The first-floor's southern room (now a bedroom) has been floored over and has also been partitioned to create a bathroom and dressing room and to accommodate a mid-late C20 stair leading up to the attic level. Lighting the bedroom are the six lower lights of the large mullioned and transomed window visible externally on the east elevation. The attic level has a mid-late C20 king-post truss, replaced side purlins, and two rooflights. The timber lintel and three blocked-up upper lights of the mullioned and transomed east window are visible in the attic's east wall.

History

The origins of Hoyle Ing House are believed to lie in the late C15/early C16. The will of Tristam Bolling, who died in 1502, records that he left a house at 'holeyeng' in Thornton, which at the time of his death was recorded as being newly built. This suggests that Hoyle Ing House was either timber-framed originally and rebuilt in stone in 1588, hence this date being inscribed in window lintels on the present building, or it incorporates an earlier stone structure that was remodelled/rebuilt in 1588. The inscribed window lintels also incorporate the initials 'TL EL' and it has been suggested that the building might have been owned by the Leventhorpe family in the late C16.

The building's large size and external form is highly unusual and it is clear that at some point it formed part of a larger building. However, with these ranges now missing or replaced it is unknown whether the building was constructed as a single stand-alone building that was later extended to the east, or that it was the cross wing of a larger house, the eastern ranges of which were later replaced. It has been suggested that the house was possibly a grange for Byland Abbey in North Yorkshire, but no evidence has been found to substantiate this theory.

Historic map evidence and archival information for the site is lacking, but both the 1st edition 1:10560 and 1:2500 OS maps, published in 1852 and 1893 respectively, depict Hoyle Ing House in its current form with two additional ranges attached to its east side, one of which survives, but in a much altered form. The range at the far eastern end was demolished between 1933 and 1958.

Hoyle Ing House, which together with surrounding former agricultural buildings (now converted for residential use) and workers cottages forms the tiny hamlet of Upper Hoyle Ing, was a working farm into the C20.

Reasons for Listing

Hoyle Ing House, a house with probable late C15/early C16 origins rebuilt in the late C16, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest: it is an interesting example of an evolved vernacular building with a highly unusual architectural form; its well-dressed stonework, unusually large windows on both floors, and massive triangular sandstone lintels all suggesting that originally it was a high-status building of some note;

* Interior survival and legibility: the building's original plan form remains clearly legible and a wealth of good-quality early interior features survive, including diamond window mullions, joists and timber door and window lintels with very wide chamfers (supportive of a late-C16 date), large triangular sandstone lintels above the fireplaces and a number of blocked-up openings that mirror those over the external windows and doors, and the remains of a Tudor-arched timber door frame.

External Links

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