A Gunnerside House - Greenleigh

version 1

(Richard Hunt) 20.11.17

According to the date on the door lintel Greenleigh was built in 1690, and this appears to be corroborated by various other features which become apparent on close inspection, (remnants of a fire window, traces of horizontal mullioned windows and the original stair arrangement), although the existence of a "plinth" around the base of part of the house may indicate that it was built on the foundations of an even earlier building.

Since 1690 however it has undergone the alterations seen by many of the older houses in the Dale, having had the original stair replaced by at least three others, the windows replaced at least three times, had an extension built onto the back, been split into two, (probably in the late 18th century with an extra door and fireplace being added), reunited as a single house and the roof raised, (possibly twice).

In 1970 Greenleigh was inherited by Hannah Milner who embarked on an extensive modernisation programme, involving amongst other things, the following:

Taking out the first floor small pane windows and the ground floor vertical sash windows and replacing them with 1960 style horizontal picture windows.

Blocking the original front door.

Demolishing the stone staircase in the ight hand room and removing the stair in the rear extention and replacing them with a new stair facing directly onto the front door, (reducing the width of the left hand room by almost 3 feet).

Cutting through the main fireplace in the left hand room to form a new door to provide access to the coal store.

Blocking off the same fireplace, replacing it with an electric fire and removing the chimney at that end of the house.

Filling in the fireplace in the right hand room and inserting a yellow tile fireplace.

Building a new coal shed which concealed what must be a 17th century window to the original stair.

Demolishing the old cartshed and building a new garage, (unfortunately not quite big enough for 21st century cars).

Blocking two small windows, four recesses, cupboards etc in the external walls, two sets of stone shelves in the scullary and concealing everything behind drylining fixed to a wooden frame, (reducing the size all rooms by at least 6 inches in every direction).

Fixing a false ceiling in the downstairs rooms to conceal the ceiling joists.

Greenleigh in 2002 showing alterations made in 1970

Note far end chimney removed, all windows replaced, right hand door blocked up, cart shed replaced with garage and rear eaves raised by several feet.

Greenleigh in 2004

Externally the picture windows to the front have been replaced with three light windows which allude to the general appearance of what the original 17th century windows would have looked like (before they were replaced with the sash windows shown in the first photograph at the top of the page), the far chimney has been reinstated and the coal shed, (out of site against the far gable), reduced in hight to reopen the original stair window.

Internally (except for one bedroom), all of the dry-lining has been removed revealing the recesses, cupboards, shelves etc, concealed in 1970, the door in the far gable has been filled in the main fireplace reinstated and the fireplace in the other room reopened.

The lintol over the blocked door in the front of the house is inscribed F N R I P over 1690 over TW (said to be for a Thomas Woodward).

Feildhouse and Jenning (Fand J) in "A History of Richmond and Swaledale" state that most of the houses built in the Dale around this time tended to consist of two main rooms with only one of them ceilinged, acess to the upper area being either by a simple ladder or perhaps by a purpose built stair at the rear of the property.

Greenleigh seems to belong to this latter type as the small window in the north end of the west gable currently level with the upstairs floor could only have been of use as providing light to a stair in the rear north west corner of the main room. There also remain several small ceiling joists with reeded decoration (typically 17th centuary).

It is also interesting to note that Greenleigh retains the right to graze sheep and cattle to the value of 2s and 6p over the common land in Lodge Green and to the north and east, (known as Little Rowleth Pasture), and to take estovers and turf from the same area.

2s and 6p was the value of one "gait", in this case allowing the owner of Greenleigh to graze 1 cow from May to September and 5 sheep from 1st October to 31st March on the specified land.

(Estovers = wood)

Owners

2003  Richard Hunt

1970  Hannah Milner

1927  Ruth Elizabeth Thwaites

1912  Elizabeth Thwaites (nee Woodward)

1906  James Thwaites (may have been living there since 1885)

1896 ?         William Coates of Crackpot and Simon Cherry

1889 ?          William Coates and James Calvert Coates?

1849 ?          William Coates

?                   Isabella Coates

1844  Elizabeth Coates, (owner), Elizabeth Hugill, (occupier) - (as per 1844 tithe award)