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Description: White Windows, Cheshire Home

Address: White Windows Cheshire Home Fore Lane Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire HX6 1BH

Grade: II

Group detail: Fore Lane Avenue (north side)

Full description:
House, now Cheshire Home. 1768 with probably earlier ranges. By John Carr for John Priestley (Kendall p111). Coursed squared stone with ashlar to entrance front; stone slate roof. 2 and a half storeys with basement, 7-bays, with 2 possibly-earlier wings to rear left and a further earlier wing projecting at right angles from left return set back and at higher level than main front due to slope of ground. Main (south east) front: symmetrical facade. Plinth, rusticated basement, rusticated quoins rising as panelled pilasters on top floor, ground-floor band, moulded 1st and 2nd floor cornices. Double flight of steps leads up to main door. It has iron handrail with wavy and decoratively-scrolled balusters and under it a C20 door masks original rusticated doorway. Main double-door with overlight and architrave set in surround with pulvinated frieze, cornice and swan-neck pediment. Basement has fixed 6-pane windows under lintels incised as flat arches; other windows have moulded architraves, sashes with glazing bars to ground and 1st floors, 6-pane sashes and C20 casements to 2nd floor. Hipped roof with 4 central corniced stacks linked by balustrade. C20 single-storey addition on left not of special interest. Rear: Venetian stair window has keyed plain stone surround and thick glazing bars. Moulded gutter brackets. On right, paired gabled wings project having quoins, flat faced mullion windows and a doorway with tie-stone jambs. c1980 addition projecting on left not of special interest. Right return: 5 bays. Rusticated quoins, plain bands, moulded cornice. Sashes with glazing bars to ground and 1st floors, all windows in raised plain surrounds. Left return: main block as right return, ground-floor masked by C20 glass lean-to (not of special interest). On left earlier range projects having quoins and, to right return, a 5-light flat faced mullion window to 1st floor (mullions recessed). Interior: entrance hall: remains of moulded cornice soffit, date inside front door (not seen at resurvey). Front left room has elaborate fireplace with floral frieze and over-mantel; moulded panels and cornice. Front right room has floral decorated dentil cornice. Main stair: dog-leg cantilevered, open-string, balustrade as to front steps with intermediate floral decorated scrolled balusters, gun-barrel newel, moulded handrail. Stair window has Ionic columns, elaborate cornice and over central light the Priestley coat of arms flanked by festoons. 1st floor stair hall has moulded panels and cornice. Full height back stairs: dog-leg, open string with turned balusters and ramped handrail (partly replaced). John Priestly bought the estate in 1765 and built the new house 1767-68. The stair hall and both stairs are almost identical to those at Haugh End House (q.v.) which was also by Carr for Priestly's father-in-law, John Lea. John's son, Joseph, was a JP and the room now used as a shop was used as the Justices Room (Kendall, p111) the name John is incised in the glass of one of the windows (not seen at resurvey). H P Kendall, 'Famous Sowerby Mansion', (Halifax Antiquarian Society), Vol 3 (1906), pp93-111.