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LAYOUT OF THE HALL
The Hall faces South towards Castle Hill. It formed what is known as an "H Plan" house, that is one with two cross wings joined by a central hall. In its original form it would have been timber framed and although much of this remains inside, the external impression is of a stone house of the early 17th century. The 1854 Ordnance Survey map shows an "L" shaped building and the extension on the back of the West wing must have been demolished between then and 1884.
We do not know when the building was clad in stone, but this was done most probably towards the end of Elizabeth's reign or in the early years of the reign of James I. The rear rooms of each wing were removed and at the front the central part of the Hall was pushed forward so that the present rectilinear shape came about.
Reception room
Entering from the lane by the side door in the East wing, the first room is the Reception Room. It has the appearance of an 17th century room, but within some of the walls are the remains of a structure some 200 or 300 years older. Originally, the wing would have had a another room to the North.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries this room was used as the parish room at the time the curate of Longley lived in the Hall.
Dining room
This room has fine oak beams and joists with stop chamfers, indicting its high status. The Tudor or Elizabethan oak panelling is believed to be original to the house. William Ramsden's Commonplace Book of 1544 mentions him buying timber to repair his house at Longley. It is possible this refers to the improvements made in this room.
Hall
Before the 16th/17th century alterations much of the space would have been outside the building, being in the open space made by the legs of the "H". There is evidence of a timber-framed porch.
Drawing room
This has oak beams and panelling. We removed the two painted panels and re-positioned in the back hall. They are a painted quotation from an epistles of Peter, but in a pre King Jame's translation. The fixing of the panels and frame have been identified since as late Elizabethan or early Jacobean.
We believe these panels may be remains of a series that were fixed around the open hall.
East wing upstairs
These rooms were most probably weaving workshops at some point.
Whilst repairing the ceiling in one of the bedrooms we found the plaster on the outside walls is much earlier than we expected as it contains lime and hair. We discovered a blocked up window that used part of an earlier tie beam as a lintel. None of this work appears in the external wall.
The assumption at the time of the archaeological survey was the whole wall had been rebuilt during the 1885 restoration, but it now seems only the external wall was rebuilt. We now conclude the internal walls date to the time of the late Elizabethan alterations.
Blocked window and tie
beam used as a lintel in a bedroom in
the E wing (January 2008)
Guest bathroom
This room contains the first evidence of the open timber framed hall.
Kitchen chamber
Two roof trusses were found under plaster partitioning. Part of the timber framing of west wing was found in a void.
Guest bedroom
This has vernacular timberwork inserted during the 16th/17th century to support the new front wall.
West wing - upper hall - the solar
This room contains medieval timber dating from the 15th century and maybe as early as the 14th century. It has a collared rafter roof with queen struts, a type of construction unusual in the highland areas of the West Riding. The steepness of the roof may indicate it was thatched originally.
Ralph Bevis 2007
The room has numerous "witch marks".
The Victorian kitchen
The long and thick oak boards in the ceiling may have been the original floor of the wing. They are rare in West Yorkshire and survived because they were covered by lath and plaster below and two later floor levels above.
Snug
We have stoned up the old doorway discovered some years ago, but left a viewing hatch. Inside, to the left is a main post of the wing and to the right the wall is plastered in the void with the remains of a fireplace - not visible, unfortunately.
Ralph Bevis 2007
Kitchen
We have now fitted the early 19th C style kitchen units.
Ralph Bevis 2007
Back cellar
The cellar has a barrel vaulted ceiling and is cut out of the bedrock.
Back hall
It has the timber frame of the 14th/15th century east wing with carpenter marks in Roman numerals. The concrete floor has gone, replaced by good old York stone flags
Roof space
The plastered walls in the lofts show the upper rooms had ceilings fitted in the Victorian period, most probably in the restoration of 1885. In the E wing there are two blocked up windows that do not appear in the outside wall.
Blocked window in E wing roof space (January 2008)