Eldwick Hall

Eldwick Hall is a house dating from 1696, with initials “R L” indicating Richard Longbottom as the builder. It is constructed of dressed gritstone, with a stone slate roof. The house is two storeys with an attic, and follows a 2-cell central lobby-entry plan, a double-depth arrangement.

The front facade has three bays. A doorway features an unusual carved doorcase with outer rusticated jambs and an inner eared architrave. The lintel is inscribed with the date 1696. Above the door, a shallow projection rises to the eaves, framing a two-light window with an ogee surround, topped with a carved floret. To either side are double-chamfered mullioned-and-transomed windows: four lights on the left (parlour) and six lights on the right (hall) on both ground and first floors. A dripmould runs along the ground floor, finished with small scroll stops, and shaped gutter brackets are present. The gables are coped with kneelers and acorn finials to the eaves and apex, and a central stack rises from the ridge.

The rear of the house includes an outshut with quoins, a plinth, and a stack, along with two lateral stacks. The windows have been altered but are now in keeping with the original style. The left-hand return has a double-chamfered mullioned-and-transomed window of four lights with a four-light chamfered mullioned window above. A cross-window at mezzanine level illuminates the stairs. The right-hand return features an almost central doorway with composite jambs and a chamfered surround that forms a false ogee lintel. A 20th-century six-light window is to the left, and a double-chamfered mullioned window of five lights to the right. A dripmould is returned from the front. First-floor windows have almost square reveals, with a two-light window to the attic featuring arched lights. To the right-hand end, a ground-floor doorway, now altered to form a two-light window, has composite jambs, a chamfered surround, and a lintel carved with "I H S 1716". This doorway is reached by a flight of 13 stone steps with a simple parapet to the landing.

The interior was largely altered in the mid-20th century. Steps lead down to a cellar with a segmental-arched vault. Originally, the rear of the house had an unheated back parlour in the north-west angle and a kitchen in the north-east angle. The kitchen was heated by a stack on the north wall, which has been largely rebuilt.

Eldwick Hall is an interesting example of architecture that attempts to combine classical decorative features with local vernacular styles.