Rowley Hall At Sd 862330

Rowley Hall is a house dated 1593, as indicated on a restored lintel. It has been enlarged and altered in the late 18th century or early 19th century. The building is constructed of sandstone, with part of it in roughly squared blocks and the majority in watershot coursed stone, featuring dressed quoins. It has a stone slate roof. Originally likely L-shaped, the hall has undergone additions to the left end and rear, resulting in an irregular plan. The main range runs on an east-west axis and is now double-depth, with a wing at the left (east) end.

The house has two storeys. The hall range features a 19th-century rebuilt two-storey gabled porch at its left end, along with a gabled addition in the re-entrant angle with the wing to the left. The hall range includes three three-light recessed windows with cavetto mullions and linked hoodmoulds on the ground floor, and three similar windows above. The porch has a moulded doorway with a 19th-century four-centre-arched head, and shields in the spandrels inscribed with the letters I M and the date 1593. Above the porch is a recessed two-light mullioned window with a hoodmould. The gable features coping with kneelers and ball finials. The addition to the left has a two-light window on each floor, while the re-entrant wall of the wing has a similar two-light window, which breaks the remains of an earlier window on each floor. The gable end of the wing has an inserted door, a 19th-century three-light mullioned window at ground floor, and a two-light window above.

On the right-hand (west) gable end of the hall range, there is a transomed ten-light window from the 17th century, which was lengthened downwards in the 19th century, and a four-light window above, both with hoodmoulds. The stone coping features ball finials on the apex and front kneelers. The rear gable has similar windows in matching style, with a two-light window below the valley of the gables. The rear also features similar 17th-century style windows, with those at ground floor including transoms. The building has various ridge chimneys.

The interior has not been inspected, but it is believed that the hall part contains a large moulded arched stone fireplace. Historically, Rowley Hall belonged to the Halstead family during the 16th and 17th centuries.