Tarn House

TARN HOUSE, TARN HOUSE ROAD

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1316812
Date first listed:
04-May-1989
List Entry Name:
Tarn House
Statutory Address:
TARN HOUSE, TARN HOUSE ROAD
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Location

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1316812
Date first listed:
04-May-1989
List Entry Name:
Tarn House
Statutory Address 1:
TARN HOUSE, TARN HOUSE ROAD

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
TARN HOUSE, TARN HOUSE ROAD

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Malham Moor
National Park:
Yorkshire Dales
National Grid Reference:
SD 89380 67241

Details

SD 86 NE MALHAM MOOR TARN HOUSE ROAD (south side)

14/139 Tarn House

II

Country house, now National Trust Field Centre. c.1780 for Thomas Lister, Lord Ribblesdale, with extension to rear c.1802 and 1853 and additions to the east in 1862-85 for Walter Morrison. Dressed medium-grained sandstone, greyslate roofs. 2-storey, 3 x 3 bay C18 range with 1 x 3 bay later C19 east range, and other C19 additions to rear, not of special interest. South front C18 range has centre breaking forward as a 2-storey canted bay and later C19 glass-roofed verandah; recessed sashes throughout, with plate glass to ground floor and with glazing bars to first floor; eaves band; hipped roof; ridge stacks flanking central bay and 2 more to left return. On right, bow fronted east range has tall windows to ground and first floor,with architraves and sill band; eaves band and cornice. left return: rendered with raised quoins; square central window with tall stair window above; flanking sashes with glazing bars in projecting stone surround. Right return: main entrance in porch with large doors in moulded architrave and cornice on brackets. Interior: the east (entrance) range has a find staircase with wrought iron balustrade. Thomas Lister was MP for Clitheroe in Lancashire until 1790 when he retired to his estate at Gisburn Park. He was created Baron Ribblesdale of Gisburn Park in 1797 and built Tarn House (then called Malham Water House) as a hunting box occupied by his agent Thomas Collins (d.1816). In 1852 Lister's son sold the extended house to James Morrison whose son lived there until his death in 1921. the Morrisons were visited by Charles Kingsley who was inspired to write "The Water Babies" while staying there, and John Ruskin probably influenced the design of the east entrance wing which had a tall campanile above the entrance (demolished after 1963) A. Raistrick, Old Yorkshire Dales, 1967, p.138 A. Raistrick, Malham Tarn House, Field Studies-Vol.l No. 5 1963, p.89.

Listing NGR: SD8938067241

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
324725
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Raistrick, A, Old Yorkshire Dales, (1967), 138
Field Studies in Number 5, Vol. 1, (1963), 89

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Tarn House

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 07-Jun-2026 at 19:49:14.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

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