Helbeck Hall With Retaining Wall To Rear

Helbeck Hall, dated 1776, was designed by Henry Bellas (or Bellhouse) of Appleby for John Metcalfe, whose initials and the date are found on the rainwater heads. The building features pebble-dashed coursed, squared rubble with rusticated quoins on a chamfered plinth. It has moulded eaves with a blocking course that carries urns. The hipped roofs are covered with graduated slate and have corniced stone chimneys. The symmetrical two-storey front has a 1:5:1 arrangement, with the end bays being lower and set back. The central block has a band between the floors. There is a central French window with glazing bars and a traceried fanlight in a doorcase that has a curvilinear head and an inner ogee arch. The sashes have glazing bars and are set in ogee-headed architraves with finials. In the 19th century, the entrance was moved to the east return, and a single-storey billiard room was added to the north-east corner. Inside, original cornices, plaster friezes, and panelled window shutters remain. The ground floor west room retains its plaster framing on the walls. The dog-leg stair features cut-string construction with stone steps, square newels, and a moulded handrail. The kitchen has a segmental fireplace flanked by single doorways; one doorway leads to a staircase that goes under the garden to a back door set in a 15-foot high retaining wall, while the other doorways in this wall (some now blocked) provided access to cellars beneath the garden.