Brass Castle sits beside Long Lane in the Harden district.
The current name derives from a linguistic shift, originally referencing brae or braes – terms common in northern England and Scotland meaning a hillside or slope, with roots in old Norse vocabulary.
Evidence suggests a dwelling existed on the premises from at least the 1600s, though the structure underwent significant reconstruction during the 1790s under the direction of Benjamin Ferrand, a resident of Harden Grange.
The earlier building has nearly vanished entirely, with only the front entrance facing the Goit Stock valley remaining.
This threshold features its original heavy stone lintel topped by a shallow Gothic arch.
Ferrand’s renovation embraced Gothic aesthetics throughout.
Door and window apertures on both levels stretch tall and narrow, crowned with pointed arches.
These openings cluster in threes or larger groupings to optimise natural illumination, lending the facade a church-like quality.
A decorative battlemented parapet encircles the roofline, bestowing a miniature fortress appearance upon the dwelling.
Across the valley, Ferrand commissioned a woodland folly comprising a tower with matching Gothic fenestration and a stone-arched entrance.
Above the tower doorway, carved initials and a date read BF 1796.
The motivations behind Ferrand’s addition of crenellations and an unusual stone cross positioned at a gable apex remain unclear.
Nevertheless, the choices reflect an evident fascination with ancient precedents, potentially echoing centuries when local lands fell under monastic jurisdiction.
Throughout the 1800s, the holding functioned as an agricultural tenancy.
During the 1850s, William Foster, who combined grocery retail with farming, occupied the lease.
His youngest daughter, Elizabeth, entered the world at this address in 1853.
She subsequently wed James Roberts, whose father worked as a weaver in Oakworth.
Roberts demonstrated commercial acumen, eventually acquiring ownership of Salts Mill situated in Saltaire.
Upon his knighthood, she assumed the title of first Lady Roberts.
Following Foster’s departure, Henry England, a corn-milling operator from Bingley, assumed the tenancy.
In 1891, he established a municipal gas connection and redirected agricultural efforts toward chicken farming.
His poultry stock featured Dark Brahmas, Speckled Hollands, and a now-obscure variety called Burton’s strain.
England subsequently emigrated to Massachusetts, leaving the property in the hands of a dairy farming tenant who departed following his daughter’s serious injury in a workplace incident.
After the 1911 period, Charles Dixon took residence and revived poultry production.
When he divested his holdings in 1925, his flock numbered four hundred birds and juveniles, encompassing breeds now considered scarce: White Wyandottes, Buff Rocks, Leghorns, and Rhode Island Reds.
The same calendar year that Dixon departed, the Ferrand family transferred ownership to Asa Binns, a textile trader based in Bradford with commercial premises on Cheapside.
His youngest offspring, Frank, made Brass Castle his home.
An enthusiastic cricketer, he led the local Harden eleven.
During the Second World War, he acted in an advisory capacity for the Ministry of Labour, receiving knighthood recognition in 1947.
Asa Binns had already disposed of the property in 1935, realising £1,300 and relocating to Cottingley.
Subsequent proprietors included James Sykes, who cultivated vegetables in the Bingley area, and Henry Entwistle, a commercial figure from Bradford whose recreational interest centred on breeding fox terriers.
Wartime conditions necessitated cultivation of the grounds for potato production.
The residence persists today largely in its historical state, serving as tangible evidence of the idiosyncratic tastes characterising Yorkshire gentry during the eighteenth century.
The designation has since returned to its original spelling of Braes Castle.