The Holme

The Holme is a house, now an old people’s home, dating probably from the early 17th century, with substantial alterations in the 18th and 19th centuries. The construction is of coursed squared sandstone, mostly watershot, with a stone slate roof. The building has been modified to an H-plan, incorporating an earlier hall range and the original eastern wing of the 17th century, with a western wing rebuilt in the early 18th century, and further additions in 1854 that created a rear courtyard (now enclosed).

The two-storey hall range has a former doorway, now an altered window, positioned near the angle with the left wing. A moulded dripcourse runs above this, stepping over recessed mullioned ground-floor windows of 4 and 4 lights, with a break in the centre for a 19th-century gabled porch containing an inserted doorway. At the first floor, similar windows are present, featuring 2, 3, and 5 + 5 lights (separated by a king mullion), all with ovolo-and-fillet mullions. The gables of both wings exhibit 17th-century-style recessed mullioned windows, built around 1800, with hoodmoulds. These windows have 10 lights on each floor of the left wing, and 8 on each floor of the right wing. Both wings have projecting eaves supported on moulded brackets. A downspout bracket is dated 1796 on the right wing. The return wall of the left wing has two tall recessed chamfered-mullion windows of 2 lights, with a datestone between them bearing the raised lettering “W”. Further along the left wing’s return wall is a datestone reading "T A l717" above a two-stage flush mullion window with 4 lights above and 2 below, all at first floor (the ground floor being obscured by later additions). The return wall of the right wing has various recessed mullion windows.

The rear of the building, including a rear wing, is in a similar style. It features a gabled stair turret with a large, three-stage mullion-and-transom stairlight.

The interior of the house contains extravagant 19th-century fittings and decoration in a 17th-century style. These include a staircase with a stained glass window, exposed beams, panelling, and fireplaces with carved wooden overmantels. A wide arched stone fireplace with flanking round-headed doorways, a feature found in some contemporary houses in the area, is also present. On the first floor, an exceptionally wide panelled wooden seat with armrests is located within the water closet – thought to be an early Victorian addition designed to accommodate a crinoline.

Historically, The Holme was the residence of the Whitaker family, including T.D. Whitaker, a noted historian.