Gresgarth Hall

CATON-WITH-LITTLEDALE SD 56 SW

5/7 Gresgarth Hall 4.10.1967

GV II*

House, assumed to be built for Thomas Edmondson in 1802, but stylistically possibly a little later, with some medieval remains. Sandstone rubble with slate roof. Main facade is a balanced composition with one bay on each side of a 3-storey porch and a one-bay wing projecting at the left. These have embattled parapets except for the bay to the left of the porch, which is gabled, and string courses. The windows have hoods, outer casement mouldings, inner hollow chamfers, and 2 cinquefoiled lights separated by a mullion, containing sashed windows with glazing bars. The porch has a corner turret and a wide moulded outer doorway with Tudor-arched head. To the right of the facade is a projecting gabled wing of chapel-like appearance. It has angle buttresses and a single tall window of 3 cusped lights and outer casement moulding under a Tudor-arched head. The left-hand return wall of the house (at the north-east) contains a doorway, possibly C16th, with hollow chamfer and pointed head. Adjoining the front wall at the left-hand side of the facade is a short wall containing a moulded door surround with Tudor-arched head and a re-set datestone inscribed: 'CG 1650'. The wall terminates with a buttress, where it abuts a garden wall not included in the item. The garden facade, facing south-west, is of 5 bays, the 2 right-hand bays forming a gabled projection with angle buttresses. The window openings rise through 2 storeys, with casement mouldings, Tudor-arched heads, and hoods. Within these openings are moulded timber window frames with 2 cusped lights on each floor, and glazing bars. Between the 2 storeys is a band of tracery decoration. The 3rd bay has a ground-floor door with tracery decoration and Tudor-arched head. The rear, south-east, facade has a plain central block with a ground-floor bow window, thought to be the remains of an 18th century house which was re-modelled: this could be the house of 1802. Interior. The ground-floor ceiling of part of the north-east wing is formed by a wide plastered stone barrel vault, now partly cut through by a passageway. This is probably the remains of a medieval defensive building. The rear wall contained until recently a 2-light hollow-chamfered mullioned window of late C16th type, now re-set in a rear wing. The vaulted wing contains a moulded shouldered fireplace of early C18th type, re-set from another building. The rear room of the central block, with a bow window, contains a plaster cornice of early C19th type. The open-string stair has square newels, a ramped handrail, and cast iron tracery infill. The south-west wing contains 2 ground-floor marble fireplaces, the rear one in a Gothic style.

Listing NGR: SD5325363324