Library and That Part of Village Hall Which Originally Constituted Denton Hill is a Grade II* listed building in the Lake District National Park local planning authority area, England. First listed on 9 March 1967. Library and village hall.
Library and That Part of Village Hall Which Originally Constituted Denton Hill
- WRENN ID
- knotted-mortar-root
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- Lake District National Park
- Constituency
- Whitehaven and Workington MP: Josh MacAlister (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 9 March 1967
- Type
- Library and village hall
- Address
- Library and That Part of Village Hall Which Originally Constituted Denton Hill, Gosforth, Cumberland
- OS grid reference
- NY 068 035
- Coordinates
- 54.4186, -3.43649
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The building is a house that has been subdivided and now serves as a library and part of the Village Hall, originally known as Denton Hill. It features a dated inscription in low relief on a panel near the right-hand first floor window, reading "1628 IOHN ET MARGRAT SHEARWEN." The structure may include elements from the house mentioned in 1598, originally called Gosforth Gate, which was renamed after a later owner. As of July 1984, the east end of the ground floor is used as a library, while the west end and upper floor serve as an annex to the adjoining early 20th-century Village Hall.
The building is constructed of wet-dashed rubble with visible quoins and has graduated slate roofs with rendered end chimneys. It stands two storeys tall, with the main block being three bays wide. The entrance features two side-by-side plank doors; the left door leads to the library and has a large fixed 19th-century window to its left, while the right door leads to the hall and has a 19th-century casement window to its right. The first floor contains two four-light windows (now with only the central mullion remaining) and one two-light window, all with continuous hoodmoulds. A lower bay to the right retains an original fire window with a casement above, and original windows on both floors and the attic are present on the east return, though they have been re-glazed.
The east elevation of the lower rear wing is symmetrical, with three bays and two three-light windows on each floor, along with a central door that has a false four-centred head, which is now blocked. The continuous hoodmould on the ground floor adds to its character. All original window surrounds are chamfered. Inside, the library's front room features a heavily beamed ceiling with a stop-chamfered beam and joists, along with a 19th-century fireplace. The rear wing has an inglenook fireplace with a large chamfered firebeam and a fireplace that may date from the 18th century. The remainder of the Village Hall is not of significant interest.
Local climate
Library and That Part of Village Hall Which Originally Constituted Denton Hill sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,590 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 99% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 99% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 32 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 59% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
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- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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