First posted at Wakefield Vistas.
Transcript:
In the 1970s, John Rennie, a South African architect, described Heath as:
‘A delightful mixture of disorderly, irregularly sited dwellings and consciously formally placed houses.’
This film provides a tour of many of Heath’s buildings and other features of historical interest.
Golf House
We start our exploration of Heath at the bottom of Heath Common. The first house we come to is the Golf House. From 1892 the common land was used as a 9 hole golf course. The Golf House was opened as the club house in 1897. The Open Champion winner, Harry Vardon, is said to have played a round at the course to mark the event.
Whittling Well
The next feature of interest that we come to is the Whittling Well. This is a well head constructed in the style of a stone archway in the eighteenth century. It was a source of fresh water for livestock and now has listed building status.
Heath Common Pinfold
This is the Heath Common Pinfold. A pinfold was a common feature in English medieval villages used to impound stray animals such as livestock until they were claimed by their owners (for a fee) or sold to cover the costs incurred. They were managed by a pinder whose job it was to look out for stray livestock. The Heath Pinfold is built into the hillside near the car park. At one point there was a risk of it disappearing but in 2005 it was restored by Heath Residents Association. The result of this work is what we see today.
School House
Up from the Whittling Well and the Pinfold we then reach the School House. This is a Victorian building that has since been converted into residential housing. Education was conducted here following the closure of the Old School House in 1873. We’ll take a look at the Old School House later.
Horse Race End
We’re now going to move right across Heath Common to Horse Race End. The building up ahead was the Horse and Groom pub that’s now been converted to residential use. If we turn to the left and follow the roadway that goes across Heath Common there’s a line of stone cottages and then some more stone buildings.
Heath Manor
This house is called Heath Manor. It’s the first of the big houses arranged around the Heath Common area that we’re going to take a look at. Heath is known by some as the Village of Mansions on account of the larger than average concentration of large period houses of historic and cultural importance. Most of these were built by men who made their millions in the woollen industry during the early industrial revolution Heath Manor is a period manor house that has now been converted into a number of apartments. The are also some historic cottages, that look like former agricultural buildings to the rear of Heath Manor.
Beech Lawn
The next of Heath’s mansions that we come to is Beech Lawn and this is designated as a Grade II listed building.
The Old School House
Moving on we come to the Old School House. The Old School House is the single story building on the right. It was built around 1660 and endowed by Dame Mary Bolles of Heath Old Hall. The Master’s House is the building on the left of this view and was added around 1751. I presume the cottages in the middle were built subsequently.
Cluster of Cottages Near Kings Arms
We now move on to a cluster of cottages behind the Kings Arms pub. Cottages around Heath seem to occur in clusters and the clusters seem to be some distance away from each other.
Kings Arms
Then, of course, we come to the Kings Arms itself. This is another Grade II listed building made up of buildings dating from the 15th to 17th centuries. At night it has a very cosy atmosphere with open fires and flickering candles. The wood panelling in the interior was salvaged from Heath Old Hall. The series of buildings that make up the pub include a barn, a coach house and a pair of cottages. The buildings were converted into a pub around 1841.
Dower House
If we walk round the left-hand side of the pub and follow the narrow roadway we come to the Dower House. This house was done up and restored by the TV presenter Penny Bustin who seems to do such renovations as a hobby. It currently looks in excellent condition.
Heath Hall
The next of the Heath mansions that we’re going to look at is probably the most spectacular. This is Heath Hall. It was built in 1707, the same year as the Acts of Union of England and Scotland. It served as a military hospital during WWI and the army used it in WWII. In the post war period it suffered neglect and was in real danger. It was finally bought, and in effect saved, by Mr and Mrs Oddie in 1959. They then embarked on renovation work to the house and gardens. Work on the interior of the hall took place between 1961 – 1965.
We cross the grassed area to our next point of interest.
Heath House
The next of Heath’s mansions that we’ll look at is Heath House. What you see here today is a new façade that was added to a pre-existing building. It was designed, in the Palladian style, by James Paine and construction began in 1744. In WWII part of Heath House was used as a youth club. In the post war period, it was converted from a single occupancy dwelling into flats.
The Priest’s House
The Priest’s House is a mid to late seventeenth century building located near the gateway to Heath Old Hall. The house is associated with a group of Benedictine nuns, who fled the persecution in the French Revolution and were given asylum at Heath Old Hall in 1811. The Priest’s House was the home of the priest who served this community of nuns. It was also used as a guest house for visitors to their community.
Heath Old Hall
Next to the Priest’s House we see some imposing stone gate posts topped with large stone pine cone finials. Historically, pine cones have been symbols of human enlightenment. This was the gateway to Heath Old Hall. Heath Old Hall was built by George Ramsden in 1595 and was considered an excellent example of Elizabethan architecture. It was demolished in 1961 following years of neglect. The gate posts are one of only a few remnants of the old hall.
Water Tower
The next building we’ll look at is Heath Old Hall’s water tower. The full name of the building is ‘Dame Mary Bolles Water Tower Including Water Wheel Housing and Overflow Channel’. The project to build this tower was commissioned by the Hall’s Dame Mary Bolles to get water to the hall from a nearby well. The result is considered a fine example of hydraulic engineering. The tower is a good example of a way of getting water to the homes of the rich and famous before the advent of piped water. The water tower is an ingenious way of solving this pre-modern problem.
Heath Old Hall & Dame Mary Bolles
The approximate position of the Old Hall can be seen here. It was located to the right of the water tower behind the more recent stone building that you can see ahead. I’m not certain, but I suspect the stone structure behind that house is a remnant of the Old Hall. Dame Mary Bolles is probably Heath’s most famous past resident. She was born in 1579 and died in 1662 so lived through a very eventful period of English history. She experienced the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I, saw the English Civil War, Cromwell’s English Republic and the restoration of Charles II.
She was made a Baronetess by Charles I in 1635 and this is the only example of a baronetcy being bestowed upon a woman in her own right.
There’s a famous episode during the English Civil War that involved Dame Mary directly. The story goes that while Dame Mary was entertaining Royalist officers at Heath Old Hall on 20 May 1643, a Roundhead army under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax was mounting a surprise attack on the nearby city of Wakefield. Since Dame Mary did not lose land after Cromwell’s final victory, there is suspicion that she may have been a Parliamentary sympathiser who effectively immobilised Wakefield’s Royalist commanders by getting them drunk.
Dame Mary’s legacy in the history of Heath could even have transcended her death. Local folklore suggests that Dame Mary became a ghost known as the Blue Lady and that she haunted the area because a stipulation in her will had not been adhered to.
Cobblers Hall
Now we move to our next example of Heath’s historic buildings – Cobbler’s Hall. From 1749 to the 1780s this building was used as a finishing school for men going into the armed forces. It was later used as Heath’s Post Office.
Moor House
Over the road from Cobblers Hall we come to the Moor House. The Moor House is a late eighteenth century house and cottage with a Grade II listed building designation.
To Kirkthorpe
We’re now getting close to the end of our tour of Heath’s historic built environment. However, before we finish we’ll move a short distance to Kirkthorpe, a settlement very close to Heath. Kirkthorpe has a few final features of historical interest. To get there we follow the road that runs through Heath.
St Peter’s Church
The main point of historical interest in Kirkthorpe is St Peter’s Church. It’s in quite a serene location, which is appropriate for a place of worship. The Church Tower is the oldest part of the building and this dates back to the fourteenth century. If you go around the back of the church you can see a rather interesting gargoyle. Gargoyles of course are designed to direct water from a church’s roof.
Kirkthorpe Village Stocks
Near the church we come to the Kirkthorpe Village Stocks. The stocks were a Medieval device used for punishing local petty criminals by exposing them to public humiliation. They were therefore placed in the most public location available. The Kirkthorpe stocks are located close to the Parish Church. They worked by placing the heavy wooden yoke over the ankles to hold the victim in place. Passers by would then throw rotten food and expose those in the stocks to mockery and verbal abuse. These stocks have 4 holes and therefore there was room for two people.
Freestone Hospital
Just behind the Stocks is Freestone Hospital. This was an almshouse built in 1595 to look after poor members of the local community. It was established by John Frieston of Altofts.
It is here where we end our journey around the historic buildings and features of Heath and its surrounding area. I hope it has been informative.
cjknowles1972 