Oaklands Manor

Oaklands Manor is a large villa, now used as offices, built around 1844, originally for Ard Walker Jnr. It is constructed of ashlar and has a Westmorland green-slate roof. The building is of double-depth plan with cellars and attics, and presents a symmetrical three-bay facade. A plinth supports the walls, with each bay and the corners accentuated by giant pilasters. The ground floor features channelled rustication below a first-floor band. The main doorway has an architrave, double doors with an overlight, flanked by long, narrow windows, and is accessed by a flight of five stone steps with flanking drums topped by urns. A Tuscan porch with fluted columns leads to the entrance. Above the doorway is a window with an architrave and consoles. The flanking bays each contain a 15-pane sash window on the ground floor, with a 12-pane sash window above. There is a frieze, a deep projecting eaves cornice, a blocking course, and a central triangular pediment. The hipped roof is punctuated by four ashlar stacks, although these are not currently visible, arranged around a central well.

The rear of the building is U-shaped, with projecting wings framing a central entrance featuring a single Tuscan column supporting a porch built out from the left wing. A tripartite sash window sits above this porch, featuring simple pilaster mullions. The wing to the left has a gable stack, while the wing to the right is taller with a hipped roof. The right-hand return facade has three symmetrical bays. The central bay projects slightly and contains sash windows on each floor. The flanking bays on the ground floor have projecting semicircular bow windows, each with three windows separated by pilasters; the central window of each bow is approached by a flight of five steps, with the window on the left being a French window. Sash windows are located above the bow windows.

Inside, the entrance hall contains an open-well, open-string staircase with a wreathed and ramped handrail. A distyle in antis Corinthian screen occupies the space in front of the staircase. The hall has a rich ceiling cornice and a panelled ceiling. Doors leading to the front rooms have carved architraves, consoles, and cornices, with original four-panel doors. Most rooms have moulded ceiling cornices. A principal room on the ground-floor front right is particularly lavish, featuring a ceiling with a dentil and modillion cornice, divided into three panels by bay leaf ornament and a central ceiling boss, with a frieze displaying Greek-key ornament. A rear room connects to the dining room via large original double doors. The first-floor landing has columns in antis with simple Corinthian capitals flanking opposing doorways.

The original owner, Ard Walker Jnr., was a retired wine and spirits merchant who had premises in Leeds. The building was originally known as Scarcroft Hill House.