Summary
A smaller country house of 1883 in a Tudor style for its then owner W Moat, probably incorporating fabric from an earlier house.
Reasons for Designation
Johnson Hall, a small country house in the Tudor style of 1883 incorporating an C18 house, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a good example of a country house of 1883, carefully remodelling a C18 house and using quality materials, design and craftmanship in the Tudor style;
* for the survival of the original Great Hall, with fireplace, stair and roof lantern, along with the other principal and secondary rooms which are of clear quality of design and materials.
Historic interest:
* for its illustration of the development of design in the later C19.
History
A house on the site of Johnson Hall is reported to have existed from the C13 with mention of Johnson Hall from the early C16 and shown on a map of 1775. The Tithe map shows a house in a different configuration to the current house, a rectangular south facing house with three separate ranges of out buildings to the east, owned and occupied by Thomas Hartshorne. This house is likely to be the one shown in C19 illustrations, a Georgian 3 storey rendered classical building of 5 bays with central portico and single lower end bays set back. This house probably dates to the late-C18 to early- C19 and was described in a 1837 letting advert as a ‘commodious and convenient House, adapted for the residence of a genteel family’.
The surrounding landscape park including a fishpond, at least one covert and walled garden to the east probably belong to this same period. The early C19 Lodge to Johnson Hall, built as part of the estate and located about 350m to the south east, is separately listed at Grade II.
The Georgian house was remodelled to its current state in a Tudor style in 1883 by its then owner Major William Moat (d1942). No architect is known for this remodelling and it is likely that substantial elements of the Georgian house were retained, in particular the external walls and rear wings, with the basic plan form and bay structure echoed in the updated building.
Late C19 and early C20 mapping and illustrations of the house show a single storey conservatory and octagonal greenhouse on the lawn attached to the east side of the house. These have since been lost. Some of the windows have been replaced early C21 and the house is now divided in ownership from the estate buildings to the west.
Details
A smaller country house of 1883, remodelled in a Tudor style for its then owner W Moat, probably incorporating fabric from an earlier C18 house.
MATERIALS: brick with stone dressings, timber framing, slate roofs and brick stacks.
PLAN: square plan, comprising double-pile main part with principal elevation facing south. Garden range to right and three ranges to rear, all combined.
EXTERIOR: building in half-timbered Tudor style, of three-, two- and two and a half storeys, with a ground floor in brick with stone mullioned windows and timber framed bay windows. Timbered first and second floors, varied framing types with lancet, cusped, quatrefoil, diagonal and vertical bracing designs. There are coved overhanging eaves, gabled and hipped slate roofs, brick stacks.
The main elevation facing south is of five gabled bays. The central three-bays project forward and are of three-storeys, there are two-storeys to the outer bays. The central entrance bay is advanced and has an overhanging gable with three-sided oriel above an open timber screen on the first floor with paired circular headed openings and a central moulded post. In front is a balcony with balustrade supported on door surround below. The wide ground floor doorway has outer Roman Doric style pilasters with paired corbels above (supporting the balcony) and a semi-circular headed open doorway with moulded arch, keystone, and spandrels with carved oak leaf cluster decoration. There are convex brick bands above and impost and cornice bands. Set back and up three-steps is the main double door with round headed stone arch, as before but with moulding reduced, stone surround extending to paired windows to side. There are two-panel doors, each panel with tall tripartite raised and fielded panels, and with a plain overlight. There are gabled bays to either side with central (replaced) windows, tall five-pane casements with three square lights above to the second floor, four-pane with smaller upper light windows to the first floor, and ground floor canted bay windows to both sides. The end bays are set back and have three-pane windows, as before, to the first floor, that to the left with a gabled dormer. Mullion windows to the ground floor, eight small lights over four to the right and three small over three to the left.
The garden elevation is to the right and has three-bays, the centre and left bay projecting forward and gabled, both with four small light over four casements to the first floor, and a three-light gable casement to the centre bay.The left hand bay has a ground floor multi pane bay window and supporting brackets for the jettied first floor projection, the centre bay has a stone mullion window, six-over-six. The right hand bay has paired three small light over three casements to the first floor and a four over four stone mullion window to the ground floor.
The left hand return to the service courtyard has the hipped end to the main range with a large external stack and timbered two-storey cat-slide roofed extension. There is a crow stepped dividing wall, behind which is the four-bay two-storey rear range, all brick with 12-pane sash windows (largely replaced), two axial stacks and a later cat-slide extension to ground floor right, with a large tripartite 12-pane sash to left. To the left is a tall three-storey water tower with pyramidal roof, brick with a timbered upper stage, two-bay return to rear range with four-pane sashes to second-floor, 12- and smaller four-pane to first floor and large round-headed window to ground floor. The elevation to service courtyard is offset at the first floor with cat-slide roof (mirroring end of main range), and with an altered opening at ground floor with (later) 16-pane window.
The rear elevation is of four gabled wings, two to the left of brick and set forward, single bay to left (garden wing) of three-storeys with four-pane sash and ground floor door with two-windowed extension to left. To the right is a two-storey range with oriel windows on first floor with continuous slate canopy over, three (replaced) sash windows below. Roughcast bays to right inline with the water tower. There are 16-pane casements, one to each attic and to each first floor, the ground floor left has a reused low wide door and window. There are two windows to the right bay. Rear of water tower blind.
INTERIOR: entrance hall with part glazed lobby doors and screen leads to Great Hall, dominating the space is a highly ornate carved fireplace and opposite, a quarter turn with landing timber stair with decoratively carved and moulded newels and combined turned and fretwork ballusters. On the first floor the stair opens into a galleried landing with arcading (towards the entrance front), a coved ceiling and central raised lantern with flat stained-glass screen of geometric patterns. The garden range with the kitchen at rear, a dining room and drawing room. The kitchen altered but the rest retains late C19 doors, doorcases, cornices and fireplaces. The library to the left of the hall has timber panelling and ornamental fireplace and overmantel. The first floor has bedrooms off the main landing, largely retaining original late C19 fittings (doors, door cases, fireplaces, cornices, skirtings). Rear and service courtyard ranges are subdivided into separate units, largely refitted with plan form altered. Extensive cellars, some doors, shelving and other partitions retained.
