Berrington Hall

Image: © Philip Halling Taken: 30 May 2016

Designed by Henry Holland in 1778, the property is now in the care of the National Trust. The house is Grade I listed. Historic England description EYE, MORETON & SO 56 SW ASHTON CP 7/2 Berrington Hall and adjoining outbuildings 11.6.59 GV I Country house. 1778 - c81 by Henry Holland for Thomas Harley. Alterations of c1890 - 1900 involved the addition of a tower at the rear of the house, this was removed in 1968 and the pediment to this face was reinstated. Set in parkland laid out by Capability Brown. Brick core, faced with sandstone ashlar with dressings of the same material, hipped Welsh slate roofs. Rectangular plan main house with central entrance and stairwell, axial stacks. Main entrance faces south-west, quadrant walls connect the main block with the three outbuildings which form a courtyard to the rear (these adjoining walls have been altered and one has been removed). Main house: two storeys, attics and basements, south-west entrance front: seven bays with plinth, dentilled cornice, blocking course and balustraded parapet, steps up to central projecting tetrastyle Ionic portico; frieze is decorated only to central part by a floral type design which replaces the original one of putti, ox heads and garlands, pediment has a lunette window. Dormer windows to attics with glazing bar sash windows, glazing bar sash windows to first floor with semi-circular heads and decorative glazing to those flanking the portico. Square-headed glazing bar sash windows to ground floor, the semi- circular headed basement windows have rusticated surrounds. Central tall and narrow semi-circular headed doorway with panelled door has keystone depicting Roman head flanked by narrow side lights with reliefs depicting urns above. The north-west front is of five bays with a pediment over the central three bays. The north-east front to the courtyard entrance is of 2:3:2 bays with central pedimented slightly forward break, semi-circular headed glazing bar sash windows to upper floor, square-headed windows to ground floor with central three openings set in semi-circular headed surrounds, right-hand opening now forms a doorway and has a six-panelled door. The out- buildings enclosing the courtyard are of two storeys. The range to the north- east is of nine bays with central pedimented archway flanked by pairs of Doric pilasters, clock face in pediment, string course to flanking bays with 6-pane square-headed windows to upper floor and semi-circular headed windows with decorative glazing to ground floor. The ranges enclosing the courtyard to the north-west and south-east are also of nine bays, each with similar windows to the upper and lower floors, the central window to each range having a moulded architrave, semi-circular headed window and doorway openings to ground floors. To the outer walls of these flanking ranges (ie facing the gardens) are central niches with coffered semi-domes with ball cresting above. The south-western ends of both ranges have a blank semi-circular headed arch flanked by oculi. Interior: the main house retains many of its original features on both main floors, with decorative surrounds to doorways, decorative plastered ceilings and marble fireplaces. The entrance hall has trophies in roundels above the doors and a central circular ceiling panel is carried to the corners on spandrels, pedimented surround to doorway opposite the entrance; polychrome marble patterned floor. The Drawing Room retains original elaborate pelmets above the three windows, marble fireplace with caryatids and griffon frieze. Delicately patterned ceiling with painted roundels depicting scenes and characters from classical mythology and with putti and sea horses; entwined roundels to outer border which flank central theme. The boudoir has an alcove with segmental arch and a screen of two blue scagliola columns. The Dining Room has a good marble fireplace with carved panels to the jambs, decorative plastered and painted ceiling with central painted roundel and swagged and wreathed plastered surround. Pedimented bookcases to the library with continuous "greekkey" type frieze. Decorative painted panels to ceiling depicting authors from Chaucer to Addison. Central staircase hall is lit by delicately iron ribbed glass domed lantern, opposite the staircase is a coffered archway; staircase and landings carried on screens of scagliola columns, decorative dolphin frieze to the entablature. The staircase has bronze lyre-shaped balustrading. The outbuilding to the north-west formed the laundry and retains many of its fittings. A tiled dairy has been restored in the south-east range and the north-east range contains part stabling. (National Trust, 1986, Berrington Hall: BoE, p 72). Source: https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1082564

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0