Oats Royd House

Oats Royd House

A house dated 1645, built for the Murgatroyd family, with a substantial mid-19th century addition made for John Murgatroyd. The building is constructed of coursed squared stone, with the 19th century work in ashlar, and stone slate roofs throughout.

The original 17th century house has a through-passage plan and occupies the western and central parts of the building. The 19th century block, built on the east side, replaces a further 17th century range that originally stood there.

The south front presents the most complex elevation. On the left is the 17th century house of 2 storeys with an attic and 2 gabled bays flanking a porch between them. On the right is the 19th century block of 2 storeys and basement, comprising 5 bays in width. The 17th century section has a chamfered plinth; the windows feature double-chamfered mullions with transoms to the ground and first floors, and continuous dripmoulds at ground floor level. The central porch has a moulded round-arched doorway with imposts and a bearded head on the keystone, with a dripmould rising to enclose a date plaque inscribed "JW" (probably James Wynstanley, a mid-19th century owner, which replaced the original 1645 Murgatroyd initials). Above the porch doorway is a 3-light window, and gutter spouts project from the returns. The porch gable has peaked coping with a head to the apex and finials. Inside the porch are stone benches and a chamfered Tudor-arched doorway with an inserted window above.

The left gabled bay contains a 3-light window flanked by cross-windows at ground level and a 6-light window on the first floor, with a blocked stepped 3-light window to the gable. The right gabled bay has a 9-light window to both the ground and first floors, each with elaborate stops to the dripmoulds, a 19th century window to the first floor on the right, and a blocked stepped 3-light gable window. Both gables have moulded coping; the right bay has a head to the apex and finial. Corniced stacks stand to the left of each bay.

The 19th century bay projecting on the right has rusticated quoins on its left side, a canted bay window with sashes and apron panels, an eaves band, a modillion cornice, a blocking course, and an eaves stack on the left.

The rear elevation shows 2 gabled 17th century bays to the right of the 19th century bay, with a 19th century single storey gabled addition projecting forward on the right. The right bay, set back, has a moulded Tudor-arched doorway leading to an internal porch with stone benches and a studded board inner door in a chamfered quoined Tudor-arched surround with an inserted window above. To the right are a cross-window and a 3-light window; on the first floor a 19th century window sits to the left of a 6-light window; a stepped 3-light gable window appears above; moulded coping and a ridge stack complete this bay. The central bay contains a 9-light window with a 6-light window above, the latter with elaborate stops to the dripmoulds; a gutter spout appears on the left, and a stepped 3-light gable window (with outer lights blind) sits above. This bay has moulded coping and a stack on the right. The two left-hand bays share a continuous ground-floor dripmould broken in the right return of the central bay by a blocked 19th century taking-in door.

The east front (right return) presents a symmetrical 19th century elevation with a rusticated basement containing low windows, rusticated quoins, and steps leading up to a 4-panel door (upper panels arched and glazed) with an overlight in a Tuscan portico with deep cornice. Above is a tripartite window; the remaining fenestration comprises 4-pane sashes in architraves on cill bands, with recessed panels below and triangular pediments above the ground-floor windows. An eaves band, modillion cornice, blocking course, and a hipped roof with an end stack to the right complete this elevation. The left return has a 4-light window to each floor.

Interior

The 17th century part contains a central housebody with a large segmental-arched fireplace with moulded arris, a segmental-arched doorway to the passage, and stop-chamfered spine and cross-beams. The kitchen behind has a large shouldered-arched stop-chamfered fireplace with a bread-oven on the right and stop-chamfered cross-beams. Between these two rooms, in the present cellar stair, 2 square panels of a timber-frame spine wall survive.

The chamber over the housebody has a stop-chamfered moulded fireplace with crosses to the base. Plain 17th century panelling covers the back stairs, and there is a studded board door with ferramenta. The roof structure comprises queen-post trusses with angle braces, collars and ridge braces, and a king-post truss with ridge braces, V struts and plaster infill. Large-scantling purlins and a ridge piece complete the frame. From the attic space, a round-headed opening with moulded surround and capitals is reported to lead onto the roof of the porch.

The 19th century part contains imported fireplaces with cornices featuring fists below, one door with painted panels, and a dog-leg stone stair with iron balusters.