Listed Building record MDR4952 - Heage Hall, Hall Lane, Ripley

Heage Hall, Hall Lane, Ripley, an early 17th century or earlier building. 'Heage Hall, the property of Messrs. E. & J. Smith Shore, and residence of the latter, is an ancient building with a modern addition. The older portion has stone mullioned windows, many of which have been built up. Some of the bedrooms retain their old oak wainscotting.' The house was formerly the house of a branch of the Poles who first settled here about the beginning of the 15th century. The house was later owned by the Argyles, then the Shores. (1) 'The house is known as Heage Hall. According to the owner in 1959, the majority of the windows had their blocking removed by his father, who also removed the old latticed glazing and the panelling. The south wing of the Hall is referred to as 'the new end' having been built after a fire in the last century. Heage Hall is a T shaped building mainly two-storied built in irregularly-coursed stone with some rubble walling. The modern end of the south wing is three-storied. The ancient part contains many mullioned windows some with drip-courses over. Only one small window is now blocked in the north wall. The roof is gabled, steeply pitched and covered with an assortment of stone, slates and tiles. A chimney stack at the east end of the northern wing contains an external fireplace to an eastward extension of the block. No certain dating can be made of the original building but the present fabric is probably 16th/17th century. See GPs: AO/59/170/2: Heage Hall from the North-east. AO/59/170/3: Heage Hall from the south-east. (2) The rather irregular vestiges of a once larger house that is today Heage Hall seems to share something in common with the fragment of Hazlebadge Hall: a single old cross-wing with later additions. In the case of Heage, the cross-wing is probably later 15th century in date, the few three-light mullioned windows having straight heads and hood moulds, and the house is all coursed rubble construction, of coal measure sandstone, with similar dressings. At a right angle lies the entrance with a plain stone hood, set in a lower range which could conceivably contain even earlier work than the cross-wing, but which has undergone some drastic modifications since. This is attached to an 18th or early 19th century wing, 'aggressively plain and vernacular'. All the roofs are stone slated. According to folk-memory, the house once suffered a fire in the very distant past; it is also said to once have had a chapel, attested in 1343. The house once had extensive grounds, ornamented by fishponds, but these are mostly now built over. The house and immediate environs are said to be haunted. (3) 'Probably on the site of an ancient 'Alua'. The yard contains a barn with a pair of Crucks, possibly the original Alua stood where there is now a garden. Home of the Pole's of Highedge until 1682 who held the land as under tenants. Much of the land which was once farmed from Heage Hall contains ridge and furrow.' (4) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 35 SE RIPLEY HALL LANE, Nether Heage (north side) 3/86 Heage Hall 29.11.65 GV II House. Early C17 possibly with earlier origins, and with early C19 addition. Coursed squared sandstone with stone dressings and graduated stone slate roof with chamfered stone copings to gables on plain kneelers. Large stone external stack to east gable wall with twin diamond set flues and brick gable stack to south gable, also brick ridge stack. 2 storeys. L-plan, lobby entrance plan to west range with tall single bay C19 addition to south, 3 bay north range. West range has off-centre oak framed doorcase with beam moulded inner edge and C20 half glazed door below bracketed C18 timber hood. To right a C20 casement in recessed and chamfered surround, formerly with central mullion. Similar window above and over the door. To left C19 bay has plinth and raised quoins to left corner, also two plain sashes in raised surrounds, one over the other and a coved eaves band. North range has central recessed and chamfered 3-light window with dripmould flanked by similar single light windows. Similar windows above in same arrangement. Remains of C18 leaded lights to central ground floor window and remains of C17 diamond leaded lights to upper central window. Rear elevation with similar windows. Interior has large chamfered stone fireplace to central room of west range and substantial close studded partition to north range. Listing NGR: SK3644451058.' (5)