The Bishop'S House

The Bishop's House is a former dower house, dating from around 1775, which was raised, refronted, and extended in the 1840s. It is now the residence of the Bishop Emeritus of Leeds. The house is built of punch-dressed stone with a herringbone “V” cut dressing to the 18th century work, and tooled with small squares to the 1840s work, with ashlar dressings. It has a Welsh blue-slate roof. The main house is two and two-and-a-half storeys high, with a three-bay wing to the left and a three-bay house to the rear, linked to the main house. The front has three gables. The central doorway features pilasters, a frieze, and a cornice. Above the doorway is a 12-pane sash window set within a raised stone architrave, with a smaller window above it, positioned under a small shaped gable. The outer bays project forward with tripartite sashes in raised architrave surrounds on the first two floors, and square 16-pane sashes above. Coped gables with kneelers are present. Two lateral octagonal stacks are on each side of the house. The wing to the left is set back and has three bays of windows with wedge-shaped lintels; ground-floor windows have been altered to create long lights for a private chapel, while those above have projecting sills and 12-pane sashes. It has a hipped roof with a lateral stack to the rear pitch. The rear of the house has a tall, central arched stair-window between two gables, with tripartite sashes to the left and an extension to the right linking to a rear range. The right-hand return displays original 18th century stonework, including an original window with architrave and casement-moulded cornice, with a 19th century sash window above. A French window has been inserted and leads up seven well-dressed steps. The link between the house and rear range has a doorway with an overlight. The rear range has two bays of tripartite sash windows with long, monolithic lintels cut with false voussoirs. An ashlar ridge stack has been extended in brick. The interior has 19th century rooms and several cellar steps inscribed with the date 1775. The front of the house, particularly the stone dressing and gable treatment, bears a strong resemblance to Field Head, Thorner Lane, and may be the work of the same architect or mason.