Slead Hall

Slead Hall is a large house dating to 1718, built for Michael Gibson, and situated just off Halifax Road in Brighouse. Constructed from hammer-dressed stone with a stone slate roof, the building has an irregular plan comprising four bays to the south front. The central two bays formed an open hall, with a gabled cross-wing to the right. Additional gabled cross-wings project forward, likely added during an early 18th-century rebuilding of a previous 17th-century house in the central bays. The second bay features a tall, eight-light chamfered mullioned and transomed hall window with square reveals, and a cross-window. A parapet is formed by three courses of ashlar. The third bay is set back and has a doorway without jambs, with a sash window above, and a parapet joining a coped gable with a lantern finial. Large sash windows of three lights, characteristic of the 19th century, are found on each floor. The fourth bay projects forward with a parapet on the return wall to a similar gable, which has a cruciform window of the 19th century, alongside a three-light sash window above. The first bay is taller than the others, with chamfered mullioned and transomed windows of ten lights on each floor, also with square reveals and a string course. Coped gables are topped with lantern finials; one rainwater head is initialled 'MGE' and others bear the date 1718. The left-hand return wall continues the string course and has a two-course parapet. A late 19th-century portico, centrally positioned with open arcades, square columns with large finial cappings, a blocking course, and a flat roof, provides the main entrance. The doorway has a basket-arched lintel with deeply sunk spandrels and moulded composite jambs with decorative stop. Above the doorway is a large ten-light mullioned and transomed window containing stained glass panels collected from the local area. The rear of the cross-wing has a full-height, five-by-five-light window set in five rows with transoms, illuminating the open hall, which features a gallery and fine carved woodwork. Two stacks to the cross-wing are decorated with sunken blind arcades. Several other stacks are present, with one in the hall range indicating a hearth passage plan.