Poynton House

A house, now offices, dates back to the early 18th century, with alterations made in 1753, as evidenced by the rainwater heads. It is constructed of red brick with painted sandstone ashlar dressings, and has a 2-span plain tile roof. The building is two storeys and an attic, featuring a chamfered plinth, chamfered quoins, a brick cill band, a frieze, a moulded cornice, and a parapet with stone coping. A gabled rear elevation has stone coping and shaped stone kneelers. There are paired external brick end stacks to the left, an integral brick end stack to the rear, and a stack in the valley. The facade has a 2:1:2 bay arrangement with glazing bar sashes, stone cills, and gauged-brick heads incorporating raised keystones. The central entrance has a four-panelled door, a moulded surround, and an overlight with a 20th-century depressed fanlight, all within a stone doorcase consisting of a lugged moulded architrave, panelled pilaster strips, and console brackets supporting a triangular pediment. A three-step sandstone approach leads to the entrance. A left-hand return front has a pair of tall, segmental-headed windows illuminating the staircase. The rear displays three gables; the central gable is a later infill, discernible by the straight joints. A flat-roofed, full-height canted bay is present to the left, with a frieze and moulded cornice. Two 18th-century lead rainwater heads are affixed: one to the right depicting a lion mask, and the other dated "T D 1753." A two-storey rear wing is present, divided into a gabled front section with a stone-coped parapeted gable end and shared kneelers, and a lower portion with a separate roof, dentil brick eaves cornice, and an integral lateral brick stack. Pair of probably 20th-century doorcases with open triangular pediments are also visible. The interior features an early 18th-century dog-leg oak staircase with landings, an open string with cut brackets, turned balusters (two per tread), and a ramped moulded handrail, wreathed to a columnar foot newel. A raised and fielded dado panelling with panelled dies and a ramped top is also present. A staircase window has a moulded architrave. A depressed archway to the staircase has panelled piers, a soffit, a moulded architrave, and a keystone. Ground-floor front rooms include panelled window shutters, moulded cornices, and some reused 17th-century panelling. Six-panelled doors with moulded architraves are found throughout. The building was likely altered in 1753, including the addition of an attic storey above the original cornice, as evident by the straight joints in the right-hand gable end.