On a well-hidden site between Brierley and Grimethorpe stood the fortified Manor of Hall Steads (the name means 'hall site'), which belonged to the early Brearley estate. Hall Steads is not mentioned until 1284 in connection with a later Lord of Brierley Manor. Hall Steads was surrounded first by a high, stone wall and then by the moat. The site covered an area of about five acres. The building was mainly of local sandstone and many of the stones can still be seen in the soil. Fragments of 14th and 15th-century pottery have been found amongst these stones.