Lea Head Manor

The house at Lea Head Manor dates to the late 17th century, with later additions in 16 W S 71 and alterations, primarily from the 1920s. It was built by William and Sarah Bucknell, reportedly following the destruction of a medieval house during the Civil War. The site of the earlier, moated house, now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, lies approximately 150 metres to the north-west. A series of 17th-century household inventories are held at the County Record Office.

The manor house is timber-framed with plastered brick infill, built on a chamfered dressed sandstone plinth, and has a plain tiled roof with decorated bargeboards and finials. Originally the building was roughly ‘L’ shaped, with a range at right angles to the rear on the left; 20th-century additions now extend to the right. The house is two storeys and an attic, with cellars below. The front elevation exhibits close-studding with cross rails on each floor, a continuous jetty supported on carved brackets extending around the left-hand gable end, although the right-hand gable is now brick-clad but was formerly jettied. Tension end braces are also present. The front features a four-window arrangement; the leaded casements are mostly original but have been much repaired, with four lights in most cases, except for the outer ground-floor windows, which have five. There are three gabled dormers in the roof slope, with four-light leaded casements, carved corner brackets, scroll-decorated bargeboards and pointed finials. A massive sandstone stack with moulded capping and four round shafts is located to the left of the central doorway, which now has a 20th-century iron-studded door.

The range at right angles to the rear on the left also has two storeys and an attic, with rectangular panels from cill to wall plate, and long straight tension braces. This section also has decorated bargeboards and a pointed finial, and features 20th-century leaded casements. The 20th-century extensions to the right are timber-framed with painted brick infill, imitating the earlier work.

Inside, the house contains numerous points of interest, including a late 17th-century staircase in the rear range, with four flights to the attic, pierced carved splat balusters, ball-shaped finials and a dog gate. A left-hand ground floor room features oak panelling with cupboards built into the wall, flanking a chamfered stone fireplace with a richly carved wooden overmantel. C17 stained glass roundels are set within the front window. The main (central) ground floor room includes a massive lintel above the fireplace, and the right-hand end wall has exposed square panelling. The ground floor has moulded and bevelled cross beams with bar stops, while exposed framing and chamfered beams are found on the first floor. Several 17th-century doors remain throughout. The double-purlin roof, with upper and lower collars and V-struts from the upper collar, is visible internally in the right-hand gable end.