Highlow Hall

Highlow Hall is a small manor house dating to the late 16th century, with significant alterations in the mid-17th century and later 18th-century additions. Built predominantly of ashlar gritstone, with some coursed rubble and ashlar dressings, it exhibits an irregular "L" plan that has been complicated by subsequent changes. The south-west elevation features two storeys and four bays, with a prominent two-story porch marking the junction of the original house and later additions. The porch has moulded merlons to its crenellations and an early 17th-century two-light ovolo-moulded mullioned window with leaded lights above a refashioned doorway with a studded plank door. To the south-east, a 18th-century range is visible with 19th-century sash and casement windows, including a semi-circular headed light at first-floor level. Further west, a two-bay hall has tall two-light chamfered mullioned windows with leaded lights, a shallower two-light opening above, and an embattled parapet. The crenellations are returned around the chamfered north-west corner. The north-east elevation displays a catslide roof and a three-light chamfered mullioned window with a dripmould, above two doorways of differing heights. A large external stack on the north-east side wall is shouldered and originally accommodated two diagonally set stone chimneys. The adjoining 18th-century range has flush-mullioned windows on the north-west and sash windows without glazing bars on the south-east. A stone doorway on the north-west is partially concealed by a 19th-century half-glazed lean-to. Inside, the 17th-century range includes an unaltered two-bay hall with a cambered ceiling comprised of twelve panels framed with deeply undercut moulded beams, including stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops. It incorporates a 17th-century hearth with a massive chamfered flat lintel and quoins, alongside a later, smaller hearth with a plain surround. A wide, 17th-century turned baluster open well staircase leads to the former solar, now partially obscured by 20th-century partitions, which still contains a fine late 17th-century moulded hearth surround. Throughout the house are various 17th-century panelled doors and a moulded plaster cornice to the porch entrance.