Crackenthorpe Hall

Crackenthorpe Hall is a large house, subdivided into three separate dwellings in 1983. The core of the building was rebuilt in the early 17th century and substantially refronted around 1685 by Hugh and Thomas Machell. A south-west wing was added in the late 19th century. The exterior is constructed of rubble with rusticated quoins, and a pebble-dashed finish; the 17th-century block retains clear margins around the window openings. The roofs are graduated in height, with stone copings, kneelers, and corniced stone end chimneys. The original symmetrical 5-bay front of the 17th-century work faces forward and has two storeys with attics. The central three bays project under a pediment featuring dentil ornament. An original 'T'-shaped cast-iron knocker is located on a studded door, which is framed by an architrave with a rusticated frieze and a pediment above. A string course runs below the attic windows. The main windows are mullioned and transomed with leaded panes, set within architraves; attic windows are smaller and lack transoms. The end walls each have two windows to each floor. A 19th-century panel displaying the Machell arms is set between two Roman altars at first-floor level. The rear has sash windows with glazing bars. A stair wing projects from the left side of the rear elevation. Internally, the original closed-string, dog-leg staircase remains, with balusters that have a corkscrew twist tapering towards the top. The staircase features ball finials, pendants on the square newels, and a deeply-moulded handrail. In the southwest corner of the main ground floor room, there is a reset fireplace recess constructed of 17th and 18th-century panels featuring carvings of humans, animals, and geometric designs. The 19th-century fireplace on the east wall of the same room bears a Latin inscription: LIGNA SUPER FOCO LARGE REPONENS DISSOLVE FRIGUS. The end room on the first floor, originally a dining room, is fully panelled with a late 17th-century corniced fireplace. A further early 18th-century wooden fire surround with fluted pilasters and egg and dart moulding is located in the central room. Some original panelled doors also survive. A pedimented datestone, L.M. 1663, has been reset into the east wall of the late 19th-century wing, which is designed to match the appearance of the earlier 17th-century block. The detailing of the stairs and landing within the later wing replicates that of the earlier 17th-century work, demonstrating a high standard of workmanship.