Nether Heselden

The property is a farmhouse, dated 1703 and 1748, with mid-19th century replacement windows and a new roof. It is constructed of coursed gritstone rubble with a graduated grey slate roof, featuring stone slates to the rear. The building is two storeys high and comprises three bays by one-and-a-half bays. It has quoins and modern door and window frames throughout. The main entrance, positioned between bays two and three, features plain jambs, an entablature, and a moulded cornice. A service door is present in bay one, with a sawn stone surround. A large four-light flat-faced mullion window is situated to the left. The remaining windows are also of a large size, those on the ground floor almost full height, and have sawn stone surrounds. Shaped kneelers and gable copings are present, alongside an end stack and one on the ridge between bays one and two. A reset date plaque above the main entrance displays the letters "F" above the date "1748" within a moulded T A surround; the "F" is flanked by stylised leaf and berry motifs. The rear elevation features a narrow stair window with a single transom to the left of centre. One two-light recessed chamfered mullion window, another window with a re-used 17th-century surround, and the remainder are flat-faced mullion windows. The right return has chamfered quoined jambs to the doorway, located right of centre, with a lintel displaying two inscribed plaques, one dated "1703" above the letters "A B”. The gable end masonry indicates a refronting and an earlier roof pitch. Internally, the main entrance opens into a narrow hallway with an inserted partition on the left and a solid wall on the right. The stairs, consisting of two straight flights, have a double baluster of 17th-century design and a moulded handrail. Bay one contains the original kitchen and dairy, including slate shelves. The house is floored with large slate flags, and a 19th-century staircase features a post and slate partition. The house was likely built by a member of the Foster family, possibly the father of Thomas Foster of Nether Heselden (1743-1770), who is buried at Arncliffe Church. The site formerly belonged to Fountains Abbey before the Dissolution.