East Riddlesden Hall

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East Riddlesden Hall is a 17th-century British manor house in Keighley, West Yorkshire, now owned by the National Trust.

It perches on a small plateau overlooking a bend in the River Aire on its way downstream from the town of Keighley. Interesting features include well-restored living accommodation on two floors, two Yorkshire Rose windows, walled garden, the ruined Starkie wing and several ghosts (reputedly).

The property was extended and re-built by James Murgatroyd, who built other stone manor houses throughout the West Riding of Yorkshire. The re-buliding was finished, but not compleated, in 1648. In the great hall, a small fireplace can be seen above the main fire place, where the floor for the first floor accommodation was not built. James Murgatroyd was a Royalist and this can be seen in royalist symbols and graffitti on and in the building. For example, the Bothy, (now the tea room and shop), has the heads of Charles I and Henrietta Maria carved in the top most stone work. The Murgatroyd family are reputed to be the inspiration for Ruddigore by Gilbert and Sullivan.

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