The Dower House
THE DOWER HOUSE, HEATH COMMON
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1135585
- Date first listed:
- 14-Feb-1952
- List Entry Name:
- The Dower House
- Statutory Address:
- THE DOWER HOUSE, HEATH COMMON
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-06-18
- Reference:
- IOE01/04347/11
- Rights:
- © Mrs Mavis Watkin. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1135585
- Date first listed:
- 14-Feb-1952
- List Entry Name:
- The Dower House
- Statutory Address 1:
- THE DOWER HOUSE, HEATH COMMON
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- THE DOWER HOUSE, HEATH COMMON
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wakefield (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Warmfield cum Heath
- National Grid Reference:
- SE 35633 20093
Details
SE 3519 and SE 3520 WARMFIELD-CUM-HEATH HEATH COMMON (north side)
6/67 The Dower House 14.2.52
GV II*
Former dower house, now house. c1740 for the Smyth's of Heath Hall (q.v.), with early C19 extension in matching style. Ashlar, Westmorland green-slate roof. 2 storeys. Symmetrical composition originally of 5 x 4 bays, double-depth. Rusticated quoins, chamfered plinth, moulded band. Central doorway has architrave, carved consoles, pulvinated frieze and casement-moulded cornice, 5-pane overlight. Windows have architraves and 15-pane sashes in an uncommon combination of 5 panes times 3. Oversailing casement-moulded eaves cornice with shallow triangular pediment over the central 3 bays supported to either side by broad tablets. Hipped roof with 2 stacks to each side at junction with central projecting bays on return walls. Original symmetry disturbed by added bay on left which breaks forward under its own hipped roof and has end stack to left. Rear: 5 bays. Rusticated quoins, chamfered plinth, plain raised band. Central arched stairwindow has dropped keystone. Windows have plain raised surrounds. Ground floor: 3rd and 4th bays altered by addition of link block to adjacent house, not of special interest. Right-hand return has central 2 bays projecting with quoined angles, windows with raised surrounds and 15-pane sashes. 2nd bay has doorway with monolithic jambs and overlight. Outer bays blind originally: 4th bay has the angle filled in with incongruous addition (perhaps Cl9) in partly-rendered brick with a small window in raised plain surrounds to each floor.
Interior: entrance hall: 2 arched doorways with fanlights: that to right leading to main staircase, that to left to a secondary one; fireplace with moulded stone surround and fluted keystone and large panelled overmantel with broken pediment, well-detailed joinery to panelled walls with raised banding on the dado. Open-well staircase has finely-turned balusters, 3 to each riser, the central one iron-twist, Ionic fluted columns as newels and parquetry inlay on the quarter landing, carved Rococo end-brackets and wreathed-and-ramped handrail. The reception rooms and bedrooms retain contemporary wooden panelling, carved chimney pieces and door frames with 6-panel doors. Rear rooms of house have C19 linenfold panelling in Elizabethan style. Illustrated in I. and E. Hall, Heath (booklet).
Listing NGR: SE3563320093
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 342372
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Hall, I, E, , Heath, ()
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 29-Jun-2026 at 04:48:49.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.