Lascelles

Lascelles is a hall house comprising two distinct builds, dating back to the 14th century and the mid-16th century, with a 20th-century extension to the west. The house is timber framed and plastered, with a roof covered in handmade red clay tiles. The main hall block is two bays wide, oriented approximately north-south, and dates to the mid-16th century, featuring an axial chimney stack inserted in the north bay in the late 16th century. There are two crosswings of three bays each, with jetties on both ends. The north crosswing is of 14th-century origin, while the south crosswing dates to the mid-16th century. An external chimney stack is located on the north side of the north crosswing. A 20th century extension is situated to the west, containing an entrance on the north side. The hall block is single-storey with attics, while the crosswings are two storeys high. The east elevation features four 20th-century casement windows on the ground floor, two more on the first floor, and two gabled dormers of differing sizes, each with 20th-century casement windows. Internal timber framing is partially exposed. This unusual building appears as a familiar hall house externally, but internally consists of two separate constructions joined by a straight line between the north crosswing and the remainder of the building. The north crosswing features twin doorways with two-centred arches in the middle of the south side, a typical position for medieval service doors, and a blocked main doorway of similar style at the north end of the east front, an extremely unusual location. The floor structure has been disturbed by reconstruction, with some 20th-century repairs. The roof is of a steeper pitch than the other roofs, and is of crownpost construction with two middle crownposts each having four arch braces of a very wide section. The hall and south crosswing also have crownpost roofs, but are simpler in style and of later date, characterized by thin braces, lightly smoke-blackened in the hall. A floor was inserted into the hall. The north dormer is small and appears to be an early insertion, while the south dormer is much later. The south crosswing has an original partition dividing the west bay from the remainder of the wing. Although superficially similar to the north crosswing, being of a similar length and in three bays with jettied fronts and backs, the south wing differs in width, roof pitch, and every element of construction. The north wing shows evidence of reconstruction, particularly in the unusual arrangement of doorways. It is hypothesized that this wing was moved from another site during the Reformation, and that the twin service doorways were reconstructed on the opposite side to suit the requirements of the new location. The remainder of the building appears consistent with new construction around the time of the Reformation, with a chimney stack and floor inserted in the hall a generation or so later.