Swaithe House

Swaith House is a large farmhouse, dated 1680 with a significant addition circa 1720. Constructed of deeply-coursed, dressed sandstone, the 1720 addition is stuccoed. It has stone slate and graduated slate roofs. The 1720 house is three storeys with a basement and attics, presenting a symmetrical five-bay facade. A three-storey, five-window rear wing dates to the 17th century.

The 1720 house features a plinth, projecting quoins, and floor bands. The entrance has an arcaded-panel door with a four-pane overlight, set within a bolection-moulded architrave beneath a consoled segmental pediment. Flanking bays contain damaged 24-pane sashes in architraves. The first floor windows are similar, with one sash removed from bay two, and a moulded sill and architrave to the central sash incorporated into a raised ashlar panel with cornice. Second-floor windows are 2-pane sashes; one has been removed from bay two. A lintel band links the architraves below the eaves cornice, capped by a three-bay pediment with an unglazed oeil-de-boeuf in the ashlar tympanum. Hipped roof dormers are visible on the return slopes, and corniced ashlar stacks are situated to the rear. A blind ground-floor window is present on the right return, below a band. A first-floor 18-pane sash sits above, alongside a central roof dormer with a pedimented gable.

The lower wing of the original 1680 building is set back to the right. It has prominent quoins. A quoined doorway, bearing the date ‘WH / 1680’ under a cambered lintel and dripmould, is located to the left of centre, flanked by windows. To the right is a double-chamfered mullioned three-light window and two similar two-light windows (one blocked), with a blocked quoined doorway beyond. A casement in its original surround is on the left, alongside a large horizontal-sliding three-light sash and a blocked double-chamfered opening. On the first floor, a blocked two-light opening is accompanied by an intact four-light window to the right; a part-blocked single-light window sits above the door. A horizontal-sliding three-light sash is on the right, adjacent to a blocked original opening. The second floor features four two-light openings, all but one blocked. Shaped kneelers and gable copings are found on the right. An ashlar ridge stack, opposite the door, features a plinth and cornice. The roof was in poor condition at the time of resurvey. A lateral stack is visible to the left return on the 17th-century wing.

The interior of the 1720 house contains original features in poor condition, including fielded panelling with a pulvinated frieze to the fireplace in the ground-floor-left room, bolection-moulded door architraves, and a wooden staircase with alternating barley-sugar, fluted and plain balusters. Within the 17th-century house, a ground-floor room adjoining the 1720 range features chamfered transverse ceiling beams and a bressumer beam. An 18th-century dog-leg balustered staircase is present, along with first-floor rooms with plaster cornices and some 17th-century panelling. The rear part of the house reveals two spine beams set on stop-chamfered posts, along with double-collared principal rafters, stub tie beams, and carved corbels.

The house was owned by the Hall family until 1773.