Crowther Hall

History: The house has a timber-framed core of late C16-early C17 type, but may have been built in 2 phases to achieve the present plan-form of main range and long rear wing. In the early C19, the main range was refronted in brick, and some alterations were made to the plan, for example to accommodate a central entrance hall.

Exterior: Main range faces E; rear wing with outshut against N side. Main range is faced in painted brick to S and E; timber framing exposed in N gable, and in part of rear wing, which is otherwise largely painted brick. Slate roofs with end wall and axial brick stacks. Entrance front has central door in latticed porch with shallow arch and moulded cornice, flanked by small-paned tripartite sash windows with keystones to segmental arches. 3x9-pane sash windows to first floor; canted bay window in S gable end. N gable has exposed box-framing, with square panels, jowled corner posts and lower king and queen strut truss. Lean-to against its lower storey. Stack to rear of S room, in angle with rear wing, and incorporated into it. Deep dentilled eaves band in rear wall of frontage range. Rear wing has exposed square-panelled framing in its gable wall, with queen strut roof; 2-window range facing S, with 12-pane sash windows with cambered brick heads on each floor (though one lower window replaced), and high gabled dormer in the roof to the right. Small gabled wing projects from its N side, and a continuous outshut encloses a side wall stack.

Interior: Plan comprises a main range with 2 rooms flanking a central entrance hall, and a rear wing with 2 main rooms extended by an outshut housing store rooms etc. In the main range, the larger room (to the S) was subdivided, probably in the early C19, to create the entrance hall: broad chamfered beams (2 in either direction) with stepped stops panel the ceiling; similar beams divide the ceiling of the secondary room to the right of the passage into 4 panels. Staircase to the rear of this room. Upper rooms also have panelled ceilings following a similar layout to the lower rooms (interrupted by a partition in the N room), but with broach stops to chamfers. Heavy jowled corner posts visible in both rooms. 3 bay roof over this section has one braced queen-strut and collar truss, and a heavy king-post truss. Original layout of rear wing has also been somewhat altered by the insertion of a passage-way, but the chamfered transverse and axial beams are still visible: wind-braces to roof, and queen-post and collar truss in gable end.

A well-preserved and richly detailed timber-framed house, which is also of interest for the way in which it was altered in the early C19.