Sponden Old Hall

Sponden Old Hall is a Grade II* listed house, originally built as a late Medieval open hall-house. It features a ceiling that was added later, along with an inserted brick chimneystack from the late 16th century, and it underwent restoration in the 20th century. The building is timber framed with plaster infill, resting on a brick and sandstone plinth. The left side showcases mainly box framing with some curved braces at the center, while the right side has a jettied elevation with moulded corner posts. The steeply pitched roof is tiled, with a hip and gablet on the right side and a gable on the left, topped by a late 16th-century ribbed and clustered brick chimneystack. The house has two storeys and five windows, including two 20th-century hipped dormers. Most windows are 20th-century casements, although some diamond mullioned windows remain. A wooden porch is located on the left side, and a single 16th-century mullioned window is preserved at the rear, behind a 17th or 18th-century catslide roof.

Inside, the hall features a late 16th-century inserted ceiling with a large bressumer and a roll-moulded dais-beam with a plank screen. The parlour includes an open fireplace with a bread oven and seating. The ground floor window retains two original shutters, while the first floor has jowled posts. A unique feature is a hole with restored sliding shutters for disposing of chamber pot contents. The interior also boasts a moulded octagonal crown-post with four head braces to the collar beam and cambered pargetted decoration. An original solid tread oak staircase leads to the attic, where smoke-blackened rafters can be seen. The roof structure includes through purlins with rafters but lacks a ridgepiece, and several old doors are present throughout the building.