Unthank Hall

Unthank Hall is a country house with origins dating back to the 16th century. It was remodeled and extended in 1815 and 1865 by the architect John Dobson, underwent alterations in 1900, and was reduced in size in 1965. The building is constructed of squared stone with ashlar dressings, while the west wing is made of rubble with dressings, all topped with slate roofs. The work from 1815 is in a plain Classical style, while the extensions from 1860 exhibit a free neo-Tudor style.

The entrance front features two storeys with an irregular arrangement of bays: two, one, one, one, and two. A central projecting porch includes a part-glazed door beneath a five-pane overlight set in a segmental-pointed arch, with a slit window above. The porch is topped with a coped gable that has moulded kneelers and a finial. Above the porch is another slit window and an eaves corbel table. The flanking gabled bays contain three-light windows with hoodmoulds. To the far right, there is a set-back two-bay section from 1815, which has a plinth, a first-floor band, and an eaves cornice, featuring 12-pane sash windows in architraves, with the first-floor windows being smaller. To the far left, another set-back two-bay section displays varied fenestration, including a tall cross window for the servants' stair and an eaves corbel table. The left end and ridge have stepped and corniced stacks. The return walls, particularly the twin-gabled wall on the left, are made of 1965 rock-faced masonry with re-set sash windows.

The rear elevation, facing the garden, is in a similar style and features a wide canted bay from 1815 with altered sash windows in architraves, the central window now serving as a door. There is a paired sash window to the right and first-floor cross windows dating from around 1900.

Inside, a wall that is 1.2 meters thick separates the stair hall from the drawing room and is the south wall of the earlier house. The interior boasts elaborate fittings and decorations, mostly from around 1860. The main stair, heavily Classical in style, along with other fittings, including the pediments above the dining-room windows, was moved from Pallion in Sunderland around 1900. The dining room and stair hall feature ornate plaster ceilings, and there is a frieze in the sitting room.

Unthank Hall was a residence of the Ridley family in the 16th century and has been claimed by some as the birthplace of Bishop Ridley, the martyr.