Cayton Hall

Cayton Hall is a house dating back to around 1770, with a rear wing that originated in the 17th century and was remodelled during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was built for John Messenger of Fountains Hall. The house is constructed of ashlar magnesian limestone, with coursed squared gritstone to the rear, and has slate roofs.

The main, two-story entrance block is composed of three bays by one, and the rear wing has three bays by two. The east front features a central six-panel door with a fanlight, framed by attached Tuscan columns supporting an open pediment. Venetian windows, with double keystones on the central lights and a continuous sill band on the ground floor, are present. The first floor has three sash windows with glazing bars within architraves. An eaves band runs along the top. The roof is hipped, with stacks positioned to the left and right of the ridge. The left return displays window arrangement mirroring the front facade.

The rear wing’s doorway between bays one and two was remodelled in the mid-20th century. Late 19th-century replacement stone mullion windows are found in bays one and two, while bay three has a bay window of the same date. An added bay to the far left is of less significance. The left return has a coped stone gable with a shaped kneeler. Large stacks are located to the left gable and in front of the ridge, between bays two and three. The right return has a Venetian window illuminating the staircase and a 19th-century refenestration.

The rear (west gable) of the rear wing features a tall cross window with flat-faced mullions and transoms, designed to light the rear staircase. It consists of four tiers of paired lights, with a further paired light above the top tier, and a round-arched light above that.

The interior is accessed through a narrow hall that extends as a passage through the centre of the rear wing. The front room to the right contains 17th-century panelling from the former farmhouse at High Cayton, with a doorcase dating to around 1920. Behind this room is a fine 18th-century staircase with three broad flights, lit by the Venetian window and originally surrounded by elaborate plasterwork. The rear wing includes a main kitchen with a large fireplace, retaining its original timber bressumer. Three northern rooms were used for storage, with timber cross beams resting on the window lintels. A rear service staircase rises through to the attic. The principal north room on the first floor has painted wall plaster depicting a baldechon and is believed to have been a chapel. The attic contains 18th-century two-panel doors with L-shaped hinges, some of which have been replaced. The roof structure displays king posts with splayed struts from the base, marked with chisel marks indicative of their construction.

Extensive segmental-arched vaulted cellars lie beneath both ranges, incorporating stone fittings, including a salting trough. Painted wall plaster is also found within the stables’ chapel room.