Lumb Hall

A house built around 1640 for the Brookes family, Lumb Hall is a fine example of a yeoman clothier's house in the Halifax tradition. It is built of well-coursed gritstone with a stone slate roof and comprises two storeys arranged on a three-room lobby-entry plan with double depth.

The front elevation is dominated by three flush gables with a projecting two-storey porch set between the second and third cells. The building features a plinth and cyma-moulded dripcourse, with hoodmoulds and decorative stops to the first floor windows. The gables are coped with cyma-moulded coping, kneelers and finials to the apex. Rainwater spouts project from the valley between the first two gables and at right angles at the junction with the porch.

The windows throughout are double-chamfered with mullions and transoms and king mullions, although the first floor windows have their transoms removed and longer mullions renewed. The outer cells contain six-light windows to each floor, while the centre cell has eight-light windows to each floor. Each gable contains a blind trefoil-headed opening.

The porch is particularly fine in its detail. It features a semicircular-arched doorway with a dropped keystone carved with a human mask in relief, set within an impost and finely moulded surround of cyma, step, roll and cyma profiles with good carved stops. The inner doorway has a segmental lintel, cyma-moulded surround, and retains an original oak doorway with a central square panel and strap-hinges. Above this is a cyma-moulded dripcourse enclosing a blank tablet, with above it a fine wheel window of eight trefoil-headed lights and central rose containing original leaded lights. The hood-mould has carved rose stops, and a parapet with finial marks the centre. A large stack rises to the ridge behind the porch.

The rear elevation is U-shaped with projecting gabled wings and a central gable set between them. The left wing appears to be rebuilt and has a dripcourse stopping short over an inserted door and no windows. The set-back central bay contains a blocked two-light (possibly fire-)window to the left of a four-light window, and a small chamfered light to light cellar steps. Above are a two-light and three-light window, with a three-light mullioned and transomed window set at mezzanine level to light the stairs. The right wing has a five-light window to each floor. The first floor window has a hoodmould with heart-shaped stops. The gables are coped with kneelers and have projecting rainwater spouts at the junction with the hall range, with apex finials. A large ridge stack serves the right wing. The right-hand return comprises three bays with a stepped dripcourse. The first bay has a Tudor-arched doorway and a two-light window above, the second bay has two-light windows to each floor, and the third bay has former four-light windows to each floor, now lacking two mullions, with the first floor hoodmould having heart-shaped stops.

Interior

The front entrance leads into a lobby with doorways into the housebody to the left and kitchen to the right. The housebody has diamond-set stone flags and oak panelling with rectangular panels and moulded stiles. Two stop-chamfered spine-beams of large scantling with ogee stops flank a large basket-arched fireplace with voussoirs, skewbacks and moulded surround of cyma, step, roll and step profiles. A staircase with gun-barrel turned balusters and three chamfered newels with reeded centres and ball finials is enclosed in an oak-panelled well. An open balustrade set in the base to light the stair down to the cellars has finely-turned balusters alternating with rods.

A small service room is partitioned from the housebody by an oak-panelled screen and contains a doorway leading down stairs to the cellar. The cellar comprises two barrel-vaulted ranges, one formerly lit by a four-light double-chamfered mullioned window and the other by a two-light window, with steps rising to an external door now blocked.

The parlour features fine oak panelling with a fully executed carved frieze and a fitted cupboard, along with an interior porch. It contains a decorative segmental-arched fireplace with a triple-lobed carved stone lintel decorated with a feather pattern, cyma-moulded surround terminating in spiral stops. The fireplace is flanked by coupled gun-barrel turned oak columns with Ionic capitals, plinth with carved base and an oak overmantel with three geometric panels separated by coupled colonnettes and cornice. A plaster-moulded ceiling encloses a single spine-beam.

The rear room of the parlour wing has a very large stop-chamfered spine-beam. The former kitchen contains two stop-chamfered spine-beams and floor-joists, with a fireplace having a large segmental arch, composite jambs and chamfered surround. An original back-stair with closed string, turned balusters with central reel and newel posts with flat onion-shaped finials leads out of this room. A service-room set behind the stair has large stop-chamfered spine beams.

The first floor comprises a parlour chamber with a basket-arched fireplace with cyma-moulded surround, later 18th-century inserted stone surround with cast-iron grate, and an oak-panelled division wall with cupboards with butterfly-hinges. A plastered spine-beam adds a cornice decorated with bird motif. The housebody chamber has a segmental-arched fireplace with a carved oak overmantel of two geometric panels with fluted pilasters and dentil cornice. The walls are completely panelled with strapwork carved frieze, dentil cornice and interior porch. The ceiling has cross-beams forming four square panels overlaid with plaster decorated with a flowing vine design and richly moulded surround of cyma, step and roll profiles. The kitchen chamber opens to the roof, displaying a fine king post truss with single angle struts and a fireplace with basket-arched lintel and chamfered surround.

Lumb Hall is unique in this region, having architectural affinities with New Hall in Elland, Barkisland Hall in Ripponden, Woodlane Hall in Sowerby, Kershaw House in Sowerby and East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley, all of which feature two-storey porches with wheel windows.