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Summary

Description

1869. 2-storey with attic, 3-bay, symmetrical square-plan classical villa with single storey, 3-bay L-plan kitchen range to rear, detached coach house and later greenhouses. Corniced pedimented entrance portico with ionic columns and recessed pilasters; double height corniced quadripartite canted windows flanking centre arched window; large pedimented square dormers; overhanging bracketed eaves. Stugged coursed ashlar with part droved quoins and margins. Base course; 1st floor and eaves band course to main (S) elevation.

Timber sash and case windows; 4-pane to sides and 12-pane to rear; arched margined stair window. Panelled timber door with fanlight; boarded doors to rear. Piended slate roof with flat lead section; corniced shouldered eaves stacks; cast-iron downpipes and gutter brackets with plastic gutters. Pitched slate roof; stone skew with gableted skewputt to kitchen range.

INTERIOR: a good later 19th century decorative scheme and interior plan layout predominantly still in place with grandly proportioned principal rooms. Timber glazed inner porch with geometric tiled floor; decorative cornices and marble fireplaces to principal rooms; timber panelled ground floor cloakroom including marble top basin and ornate toilet cubicle with geometric floor and wall tiles and stained glass window. Original carved timber glazed fitted dresser to kitchen.

COACH HOUSE: single and 2-storey, 4-bay coach house; wide double boarded doors; rectangular eaves breaking dormer; plain elevation to E. Rough coursed sandstone with droved margins; 6-pane over 1-pane timber sash and case window; 6-pane window to dormer; slate roof; stone skews; shouldered corniced eaves stack with octagonal can. Former gate linking coach house to kitchen range now removed.

GREENHOUSE: extensive circa 1915 brick and timber glazed S facing greenhouse linked perpendicularly to coachhouse with later brick boiler forming re-entrant angle.

BOUNDARY WALLS, RAILINGS AND SUMMERHOUSE: rubble wall with half-round copes to E. Wrought iron railings to N and E with cast-iron gate pillars and wide gates to N leading to steeply sloping track down towards the Mill areas of Wilderhaugh Street. Neat square-plan timber boarded piended roofed summerhouse with double part-glazed doors, felt roof and 6- over 2- pane timber sash and case windows to SE.

Statement of Special Interest

Rowantree Butts is a fine example of a large later 19th century villa with associated grounds and outbuildings remaining in an unaltered condition. It was built for the MP Adam Brown. It is similar to the villas commissioned by mill manufacturers in the mid to later 19th century but few were in such large garden grounds. Many villas were demolished in the late 20th century to make way for housing developments and therefore the immediate setting of this building is now unusual.

Prominent businessmen of the area lived in the property from the late 19th century including those related to the businesses of Dorwoods and Fairgrieves of Huddersfield Mill. Polish Officers were billeted to the house in the 2nd World War, during which time a fire caused localised damage to a bedroom, there is still evidence of polish graffiti inside the coach house.

A late 20th century ground collapse revealed an 18th century well immediately to the W of the house which is believed to have been a courtyard well to a former farm on the site.

References

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