Underbank Hall

Underbank Hall is a large detached house located on Underbank Lane in Hunshelf, dating from the early to mid-18th century, with an earlier core. The building is constructed of deeply-coursed squared stone and features a stone slate roof. It has four parallel gabled ranges, with the left wing projecting to the front and the third wing projecting at the rear. The house is two storeys high. Wings two, three, and four are identical, each with two bays of tall 12-pane sash windows in raised surrounds. Wing three is set back slightly and has three bays with shorter 12-pane sashes in raised surrounds.

To the right of wing three, there is a doorway with a moulded architrave and a moulded cornice above, which features a three-panel plaque displaying three coats of arms. The left wing is similar but has two bays of 16-pane sashes in flush surrounds, except for the ground-floor left, which has a double-chamfered two-light window. The gables have hollow-chamfered copings on cut kneelers, and there are seven ashlar stacks with chamfered plinths and moulded cornices.

At the rear, the projecting wing features double-chamfered windows with two, three, and four lights. To the left, there are sash windows similar to those at the front, including one with 30 lights. There have been alterations and additions to the right, while the left return retains two altered double-chamfered two-light windows.

Inside, there is a 20th-century entrance vestibule with a good eight-panel door and oak panelling that matches the 18th-century oak panelling in the right room. This room features an oak screen above a later fireplace, possibly imported and dated 1594, consisting of two segmental arches with inlaid floral patterns, framed and separated by debased, fluted Ionic pilasters. The room to the left of the hall, which was formerly two rooms, has panelled walls with smaller panels at a lower level, likely a 19th or 20th-century reproduction.

The hall has a rich history, having been owned by the West family since 1480, the Fenton family from the 17th century until 1839, and then the de Wend family. In 1959, the hall was sold to the British Steel Corporation.