Duck House

Duck House is a house from the late 18th century that has undergone alterations and extensions in the 19th century and around 1970. It is constructed from coursed squared limestone with gritstone on the upper storey and features a stone slate roof. The building has quoins and is square in plan, originally likely a single-storey structure in the Gothick style, with the upper storey added probably in the late 19th century.

The front of the house has a central six-panel pointed-arched door set in a moulded stone surround, flanked by pointed-arched windows that contain six-pane casements with interlaced glazing bars, all within stone architraves. There is a first-floor band, and above are two gabled dormers with windows similar to those on the ground floor. The central stack features recessed arched panels and is rendered.

At the rear, there is a 20th-century extension that incorporates a former single-storey stable or outhouse range. The left side of the house has three bays, with two blocked pointed-arched windows in the right and centre, and a sash window with glazing bars on the left. There is also a 20th-century sun lounge on the far left. The right side has three pointed-arched windows with 20th-century frames and an additional two-storey bay with an arched double door.

Duck House is located near large fish ponds associated with the Studley Royal estate and has traditional connections to the monks' routeway from Fountains Abbey to Ripon. This route was integrated into the Ripon drive from Studley Royal Park to the Ripon road in the 18th century.