The Old Cock Inn, Halifax

PH16. 1979 Halifax Calendar. Originally a Georgian House – now Local Law Society Offices. Behind the 19th Century entrance is a 17th Century building where an upper room contains fine panelling and plasterwork. The Old Cock has been an inn since 1668 but was built as a town house in the 1580s by William Savile of Copley following his marriage to Isabel Lacy in 1575. Later additions disguise its Elizabethan origins, but inside an oak stair leads to an impressive oak-panelled chamber lit by a large transomed window of 20 lights infilled with colourful stained glass, some original. At the centre of the room is a magnificent fireplace with a richly carved over-mantel, dated 1581, with inlaid panels set inside arcades and separated by grotesque caryatids. Above, in plasterwork, is the Savile arms flanked by Royal supporters, probably added in the 1630s. It is rare for such an Elizabethan room to survive in northern towns; only York can offer a rival.