Red House

Red House

This is a two-storey house of Grade II* significance, constructed of red brick with stone quoins and a stone slate roof. The building is aligned east-north-east to west-south-west and comprises six bays. The front (south-facing) elevation has a hipped roof, whilst the rear has four gables, the westernmost of which extends beyond the line of the front. An attached square block with a hipped roof stands to the north-east of the main house.

The main elevation features an off-centre entrance doorway with small flanking windows and a double semi-circular fanlight with glazing bars. To either side are six-over-six unhorned sash windows, beyond which are canted bay windows with stone dressings. The first floor displays three two-light sash windows and two single sashes, all six-over-six, arranged alternately. On the left is a further bay, slightly recessed and added in the early 20th century, containing one first-floor sash window. The left return (west side) has a large five-light ground-floor window and a single sash window above, with a projecting section without windows towards the rear. The right return (east side) contains a two-light window with stone dressings to the left and a large window in a square bay beneath a slate roof at ground-floor level, with two first-floor windows with stone dressings above. To the right is an attached building in coursed dressed stone with a hipped roof. It has two-light pointed arch windows at first-floor level on the south, east and north sides. The west side, which extends beyond the rear wall of the house, is brick above with two first-floor windows and a recessed ground floor containing two doors. The rear wall of the house, rebuilt in 1995-7, has four gables and a range of modern sash windows in each bay.

Internally, the front door opens into a spacious hall from which the main staircase rises to the right, with an open galleried landing to the rear. The staircase features slender wooden balusters. Beneath the gallery, the ground floor has been opened out with three round arches leading to a shop area at the rear. To the left is the parlour, extended in the early 20th century, with decorative plasterwork and alcoves flanking the fireplace, and a kitchen and scullery to the rear, each containing a range. A back stair ascends from the kitchen. To the right is a study at the front with a dining room behind, both with similar fireplaces featuring white marble surrounds and cast iron grates; the grates appear late 18th century whilst the surrounds are in mid-Victorian style. The dining room contains the stained glass window described in Charlotte Brontë's 'Shirley'. The first floor comprises a series of rooms, three of which are dressed as bedrooms, all featuring fireplaces including an attractively decorated all-in-one cast iron grate and surround. Other rooms serve as offices, a meeting room and exhibition room. All doors, including the main front door, are modern replacements.

To the west of the house, aligned at right angles to it, stands a two-storey barn constructed in stone with quoins and a hipped stone slate roof. The east elevation facing the house has a central cart entrance with a large two-light window above, flanked by a circular window to either side, and three further smaller doors. The north end, facing the coach house, has a central doorway and a loading door above, whilst the west side has a single doorway and a row of ventilation slits above. Internally, the barn has two floors with modern partitions on the ground floor and exposed roof structure of pegged trusses above.

The single-storey coach house is also constructed in stone with a stone slate roof, consisting of four open-fronted arches with the right-hand one blocked and a doorway to the left. The interior has been restored with new and reused timbers.