The Manor Office

The Manor Office is a historic building dating from around 1330, originally constructed for Archbishop Melton of York as a gaol, which it remained until the mid-19th century. This three-storey rectangular structure features set-offs on each floor and is supported by a range of 64 large triple roll corbels that were once used for machicolations. The roof is currently covered with lead. The building incorporates partly Roman dressed stones, and the original windows are small, trefoil-headed with bars. Later modifications include three or four light lancet windows, with two on the east side, one on the north, and one on the south. The central entrance on the west side has a recent pointed arch, while a former entrance to a partly dismantled newel stair to the left has been blocked and replaced by a two-light trefoil-headed window. On the first floor, above the entrance, there are three later inserted two-light windows with mullions. The interior has been significantly altered with the addition of an axial east-west staircase in the 19th century, and the ground floor features a vaulted ceiling. The Manor Office is part of a group that includes Nos 15 to 19 Hall Bank House, bankhead, Manor Cottage, and an archway, with Nos 15 and 16 being of local interest.