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Description: High Bentley

Address: High Bentley Manor Green Lane Shelf Halifax Calderdale HX3 7TU

Grade: I

Group detail: Green Lane (west side)

Full description:
House. Late medieval timber-framed interior belonging to the 2nd half C15 encased in stone 1661 with added rear kitchen wing c1665 to north. Hammer-dressed stone, stone slate roof. Hall and cross-wings plan of 'U' shape to south with wings projecting and 'T' shaped to north with rear kitchen wing of single cell form. North Elevation will be treated as 3 cells. The 1st cell is 2-storey kitchen wing, 2nd aisle of hall , 3rd cross-wing. Main entry to north is contained at junction of single storey aisle with kitchen wing and has doorway with decorative ogee lintel inscribed 'RW 1661' set within a tressure, over is small lunette. To right are 2 chamfered mullioned windows of 3 lights one with stepped light with ogee one-piece lintel. Set between in small gable is triple light formed out of an ogee. Right hand cross-wing flush with hall range has double chamfered mullioned windows of 2, and 5 lights to ground floor with 4-light over. Quoins to the angle. Right hand return wall is blind with lateral stack with quoins. South front has quoins to 2-storey cross-wing and reads from left: inserted C19 doorway double chamfered mullioned windows of 6 lights with hoodmould and stepped light of 2/4 lights with hoodmould in gable. Right hand return wall has lintel for former 2-light window now forming doorway (blocked). Over is complete 2-light window with hoodmould and coped gable with kneeler (remaining on left hand side only). This abuts on to single storey hall range which has 12-light mullioned and transomed window (with inserted doorway occupying 3 lights) with hood over. 3-light window (to right of central truss in hall, probably lighting fire area). Outermost bay has C19 doorway taken out of mullioned window of which 3 lights remain over is 4-light window, shorter and of different character (lacking central mullion). Leanto porch built onto projecting wall which has quoins of cross-wing (now gone). Large central stack of ashlar to ridge. Porch protects C17 doorway with square lintel, chamfered surround and stops. 2- storey kitchen wing at right angles to main entry has 2 light fire window and 5-light double chamfered mullioned window and 4-light window to 1st floor. Coped gable with kneelers, gable stack. Interior: Single aisled hall of 2 & half bays of which the half bay at the upper end of the hall was occupied by dais canopy. Evidence for former firehood. 2-bay cross-wing is contemporary with hall, central truss has been moved further along wall plate. Dais canopy sprang from a brattished rail pegged to the e. wall of crosswing. Service bay is hipped. The aisle is partitioned off from the nave but open in the hall. In C17 a kitchen wing was added at right angles to service bay, destroying medieval aisle and remainder of building in stone firewood replaced by present stack with decorative lintel inscribed 'RW, IW'. over which was fine plasterwork. This house is very important as it is the only complete Yorkshire aisled hall which retains both its service and solar wings in timber framing. The stone casing is of high quality. It was a large hall to a shrunken medieval settlement the platforms of which are still visible in the field immediately to the north. N. Pevsner, Yorkshire West Riding (London 1967), p.481 R.C.N. Thornes West Yorkshire "A Noble Scene of Industry" (Wakefield 1981), p.12. Lister Transactions of the Halifax Antiquarian Society, (1905), p.241.