Ryshworth Hall

Ryshworth Hall

A house of complex development now subdivided into five separate occupations. The building combines a timber-framed early 16th-century three-bay hall with a later 16th-century four-bay east wing, an early 18th-century extension to the rear of the wing, and a mid-18th-century west wing. In the late 19th century, canted bays were added to the hall and west wing, with infill between the two wings creating a new entrance front. The hall and east wing are timber-framed with rendered walls (evidenced internally), while the west wing is constructed of hammer-dressed stone with ashlar dressings. The 19th-century additions are of dressed stone. Stone slate roofs cover the structure. The building stands at two storeys.

The south front presents the west wing to the left, a three-bay section with rusticated quoins and a moulded band that ramps to either side, topped by a richly-moulded cornice rising to a slightly raised parapet. Three bays of sash windows with architraves and aprons are set above a central doorway with architrave surround. A hipped roof with an 18th-century stack marks the junction with the hall range.

The hall range comprises three wide bays, the outer bays gabled and fitted with two-storey canted bays containing sash windows; niches are set within the apex of the gables. The central bay contains a doorway with wooden surround and segmental lintel decorated with Greek key ornament, with a sash window above. Oversailing eaves and lateral stacks to the return walls complete this elevation.

The rear elevation reveals the east wing to the left, featuring a doorway to the left of a five-light mullioned-and-transomed window with leaded lights. A band and quoins define the first floor, constructed of different masonry and containing two sash windows, beneath a hipped roof with ridge stack. The west wing to the right displays similar fenestration but with a doorway featuring tie-stone jambs and a ground-floor sash window, also beneath a hipped roof. The infill between the wings projects forward in three bays with a central doorway flanked by transomed windows and a hipped roof with a stack positioned to the left of the hip where it meets the east wing.

The left-hand return (west wing) contains two external stacks with moulded cornices and offsets, with a tall arched stair window (a 19th-century insertion evidenced by a break in the stonework) positioned between them, fitted with a 24-paned sash. The right-hand return (east wing) has a chamfered plinth and a large external stack, possibly of late 16th-century date but raised or rebuilt in the 19th century, positioned to the left of a Venetian window with wooden surround, arched lights, the central light bearing Greek key ornament and a keystone. At right angles stands a two-cell addition dated 1758, with quoins to the right. Each cell has a four-light flat-faced mullioned window with recessed mullions on each floor; the first floor of the first cell has been altered with an inserted doorway. A ridge stack stands to the right. A 19th-century addition to the right comprises three bays of brick with quoined angles and square sash windows; a doorway with monolithic jambs sits between the first two bays.

Internally, the hall preserves evidence of its early 16th-century date in its roof structure. The range is closed at either end by a king-post truss with six vertical braces on each side of the king-post, with remains of lath and plaster infill. A second king-post truss incorporates an angle strut, and a more elaborate truss features a short king-post rising from a collar supported by straight braces from the principals. The east wing is of post-and-truss construction with framed close-studded walls featuring diagonal bracing and three king-post trusses. The northernmost bay has stone corbels supporting a stone collar with mortices for a fire-hood. The addition to the rear of the east wing contains a fine first-floor panelled room with large raised-and-fielded panels, a bolection-moulded fireplace with contemporary cast-iron grate, and a casement-moulded cornice. A ground-floor window bears scratch marks dated 1727 and 1770. The hall range also contains some fine 18th-century bolection-moulded panelling.

The building is graded II* primarily for its timber-frame and unusual roof structure, representing a rare survival in this region. The 18th-century work is of high quality. The house is illustrated in Samuel Buck's Sketches of Yorkshire Houses (18th century, reprinted by Wakefield Historical Society, page 158).