Listed Building: NORTH LEES HALL (1109774)

HISTORY North Lees Hall is thought to have inspired Charlotte Bronte (1816-55) in the summer of 1845 when she was staying with her friend Ellen Nussey at the vicarage in Hathersage, providing the model for Mr Rochester’s Thornfield Hall in her first and most famous novel Jane Eyre (1847). DETAILS Tower house with lower attached domestic range. Late C16, with some C19 refashioning, and restored in 1965. Coursed rubble gritstone, rising from a chamfered plinth, with quoins, embattled ashlar parapet with moulded merlons and formerly with a lead roof, now with an asphalt covering. Tower house incorporates a taller stair tower to north east corner, to which is attached a domestic two storey range to the north east. Tower House, south east elevation; three storeys and parapet above basement. Stacked 6-light recessed hollow chamfer mullioned and transomed windows, the one to the first floor beneath a hoodmould with stops, those to the ground and second floors beneath continuous dripmoulds. C20 casements, those to ground floor openings with diamond leaded lights to upper parts. Taller stair tower projects slightly to rear of main tower with single lights within chamfered surrounds to light staircase half-landings, North west elevation; projecting stack carried on corbels at height of first floor window heads, and a wide doorway to ground floor with deep chamfers to jambs and lintel. South west elevation has four 4-light hollow chamfer mullioned openings to north west end, and three 3-light hollow chamfer mullioned and transomed windows to south east, indicating a change in floor levels in the rear part of the tower. Full height stack projects between windows, now truncated at parapet level, but with base for diagonal stone chimneys. Domestic range adjoins the stair tower, and is possibly a later and lower rebuilding of an earlier range. Stone slated roof with intermediate and end stacks, and coped gables with moulded kneelers, Two storeys, three bays with advanced gabled range off-centre, to north east of doorway, which has a moulded surround with a plain planked door. , 3-light chamfer mullioned windows above doorways with casements. Former C19 3-light mullioned and transomed window to gabled range, now with lower part replaced by C20 joinery. C20 casement to opening with heavy lintel to north east end. Interior; the tower is served by an oak newel stair, and has moulded stone doorcases leading into the principal rooms, The ground and first floor rooms have moulded plaster ceilings which, together with the rest of the interior, were extensively restored in 1965, The ground floor plaster work is dated 1594, with a moulded frieze and a moulded soffit to the main spine beam, The first floor plaster work is more elaborate, with moulded ceiling panels, as well as a frieze, and spine beam soffit. Both ground and first floor rooms have moulded stone surrounds to the hearths and Tudor arched head, and carved chamfer stops to the jambs.