Swinfen Hall and Attached Steps and Terraces

Details

SK 10 NW SWINFEN AND PACKINGTON C.P.

6/99 Swinfen Hall and attached steps 26.2.82 and terraces (Formerly listed as Swinfen Hall) GV II*

Country house, now an hotel. Dated 1755, by Benjamin Wyatt with substantial late C19 and early C20 additions. Red brick with stone plinth, details and dressings; flat roof invisible behind balustraded parapet; corniced brick central stacks. Baroque style (and as a consequence late of period) with a rectangular plan now extended to the south east. Entrance front: two storeys on a plinth, rising to dentilled cornice with attic storey over, again corniced under the parapet which is divided into 6 bays by dies and with a central panel rising to a segmental pediment and bearing a cartouche with the coat of arms of the Swinfens. The facade is divided into 2,3,2 bays by giant Ionic pilasters which rise to breaks in the main cornice and continue as strips beyond; the glazing bar sashes (rising from 18,18 to 6 panes on the attic) have moulded stone surrounds with lugged and keystone heads and consoled cills, the attic windows are only lugged top and bottom. Central entrance has a flat-dentilled pediment on triglyph frieze and Tuscan columns; double doors of four panels each and approached by a short wide flight of steps. A shorter, underplayed side elevation bears the date on the keystone of a basement door, inscribed "SS/1755" the details are similar but the plinth storey is not faced in stone. Garden front: of identical layout to the entrance but lacking such extensive detail: there is no central cartouche, the windows have keystone centres to gauged brick heads and consoled cills (except the centre first floor window which is as on the entrance front). The centre three bays on the ground floor are taken up by a late C19 semicircular bay projection of three French casements and balustraded parapet; the spaces between windows are occupied by terms carved in Portland stone. From the garden front the bulk of the C19 extension can be seen. It projects 3 bays from the left-hand side and is fronted by 6 bays, all more widely spaced than the C18 work but of intendedly similar height and detail. The garden front of the C18 house and the C19 block are connected by a raised balustraded terrace in Portland stone with two concave flights of steps to the north east. Interior: the C18 interior was substantially altered in the late C19 but in an interpreted C18 manner, some material may have been reused. The entrance leads into a hall occupying half the depth of the house, the central three bays and two storeys (the plan therefore divided into two apartments either side and one in front): elaborate plasterwork, the ceiling particularly very floral, dentilled cornice and lugged panels below, expressing the floor division; pedimented door surrounds; elaborate fireplace to right with swan-necked pediment to overmantel, consoled mantel and lugged marble fire surround. The hall is dominated not by a staircase but a balcony running across the entrance axis and with turned balusters on a dentilled cornice and frieze which sits on fluted Ionic columns. Under the balcony round-arch entries lead at centre to the saloon at left to the dining room and right to the stair hall. Dog-leg stair with 3 turned balusters per tread, open string with carved console tread ends; ramped angles and curtail scroll. The landing has a stained glass serlian window by Dudley Forsyth of London. The library leading on to the dining room are both typical of the house with C18 style details including panelling, doorcases and cornices. The saloon is more obviously C19 particularly with the circular end leading to the garden. The C19 block contains a large dining room in the C18 style and a huge ballroom, fully panelled with a columnated recess of storey height and with solid wood columns. The first floor contains much fine carved work and a pair of early C20 bathrooms with extensive and complete fittings. B.O.E., p.271-2.

Listing NGR: SK1344605979

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

272715

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire, (1974), 271-2

End of official list entry

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