Layton Manor House

Probably dating to the late 16th century, with alterations and additions from the 19th century, Layton Manor House is a substantial building with a complex history. It is constructed from thick walls of large blocks of red sandstone rubble, topped with a graduated greenslate roof and ashlar chimney stacks. The original house comprises two storeys and two bays, with a right-angled, two-bay extension of the same roofline. A lower, two-storey, two-bay extension was added in the 19th century, creating an overall L-shaped plan. The doorway, situated in the re-entrant angle, features a plank door set within a broad, chamfered surround. Above the door is a reused carved coat-of-arms of the Layton family of Dalemain, dated 1649, believed to have been brought to the house in the 19th century. The main part of the house, along with its contemporary extension, has three-light, chamfered stone-mullioned windows protected by hoodmoulds, and three smaller firewindows, two of which are now blocked. A blocked doorway on the front gable is positioned below a two-light, chamfered stone-mullioned window. The right-hand return displays sash windows within 19th-century surrounds, while the 19th-century extension has two-light windows under hoodmoulds. The left-hand return features a Tudor-arched stone porch. Internally, the property includes a broad, segmental-arched stone fireplace. The house was owned by the Halton family before being sold to the Duke of Norfolk in 1785, who then sold it to the Hasell family of Dalemain. In the 19th century, it was known as Greystoke Mid-Farm. While referred to as a Manor House, it appears never to have formally functioned in that role.