Wood Lane Hall

Wood Lane Hall

A Grade I listed house dated 1649 and 1651, incorporating parts of an earlier timber frame and showing late 18th-century to early 19th-century alterations. Built for John and Elizabeth Dearden, it stands on the north side of New Road near Sowerby Bridge.

The building is constructed in coursed squared stone with a stone slate roof. It follows a hall with cross-wings plan, two rooms deep, and rises to two storeys with a cellar and attic. The main facade is three bays wide, with the outer two bays gabled.

The exterior features a chamfered plinth, transomed double-chamfered windows with cyma-moulded mullions and some stanchions, and strings with decorative stops flanking the windows. The principal first-floor windows have decorative-stopped dripmoulds. A coped embattled parapet with finials to the merlons and coped gables runs along the roofline.

Between the central hall bay and right bay is a prominent two-storey porch. Its doorway has fluted jambs on plinths and imposts, with a bi-cusped lintel carved with a male head and the inscription '1649 IDED' above. The doorway is set within an architrave of fluted columns on lozenge-decorated plinths supporting an entablature with a head in the frieze, a moulded cornice, and ball finials. The first floor of the porch features a large rose window with mouchettes and some original leading and glass, positioned beneath a dripmould with headstops dated 1651. The right return of the porch contains a first-floor window and a gutter spout.

The central hall bay contains a tall nine-light window with king mullions and two transoms, which breaks the string line and has a dripmould. To its left is a doorway, formerly a window with a chamfered lintel. The left bay projects and has six-light windows with king mullions to the ground and first floors, and a stepped three-light single chamfered window with a moulded cill to the attic. The left bay also has two-light windows to each floor of its right return. A ridge stack at the right end of the hall has paired, corniced, diamond-set flues. Two other stacks rise from the right wing to the left of the ridge. A sundial is positioned fronting the central finial.

The rear presents three gabled bays with a two-storey porch positioned between the right-hand bays. The plinth and strings continue around the back. Windows are double-chamfered and mullioned with transoms, except for untransomed two-light cellar windows. The rear porch contains a dog-kennel with an arched light and two-light windows above on either side. The entrance ascends by steps on the right return through a chamfered quoined Tudor-arched doorway. To the right of the porch is a four-light window. The right bay has two-light windows to each floor. The central bay contains a six-light window with a king-mullion and two three-light windows above, with a broken spout below. The left bay has two late 18th-century to early 19th-century two-light windows, with steps descending on the left to a plain stone-surround doorway. The gables have chamfered coping and finials. The left return contains a four-light and three two-light windows to the ground floor, with the string returned from the front. Two four-light and one two-light windows appear above, with gutter spouts each carved with a face or animal. The right return features sashes with glazing bars to one and two-light flat-faced mullion windows.

The interior contains a remarkable full-height hall dominated by a large, very fine chamfered Tudor-arched fireplace with fluted Ionic pilasters on lozenge-decorated plinths, cornices, and a wooden panel above carved with floral motifs. A spiral frieze rises into a cornice with knobs on the frieze. A gallery running round three sides of the hall has turned balusters set on a carved panel. The hall walls are finished with fine panelling incorporating hearts and a carved frieze. Panelled doors with segmental-arched surrounds access adjacent spaces. An elaborate moulded pilaster ceiling features decorative panels with pomegranates, shields and lions in relief, with a fluted central boss.

The front left room has a chamfered segmental-arched fireplace with wooden leaf-carved panels above and flanking consoles, and a carved frieze to the panelled walls. The kitchen, located to the rear centre, has a very wide fireplace. In one section, the two spine beams feature moulded plasterwork on the soffit with a central lozenge and pomegranates. In the left end, the spine beams are chamfered, and the window has stanchions and leaded glazing.

The right wing was altered in the late 18th century to early 19th century. The ground-floor room contains a bolection-moulded fireplace, large wall panels, and a cornice. An imported earlier dog-leg stair with spiral and decorative-panelled balusters is located here.

The first floor features chamfered Tudor-arched doorways and three original doors with four moulded panels and butterfly hinges. The front left room has a fine cyma-moulded Tudor-arched fireplace with a moulded cornice and spine beams. The rear left room has an ogee-chamfered segmental-arched fireplace and leaded lights to the window. A king-post roof truss with vertical struts and a continuous mortice in the soffit of the tie beam (for a former partition wall) is visible in this room. At the top of the stairs to the rear left is a section of early balusters. Another king-post roof truss is visible in the central rear room.

The wheel window is identical to that at New Hall, Elland.