Details
CASTLE DONINGTON DONINGTON PARK
SK 42 NW
2/59 Donington Hall and
attached chapel, stables
7.12.62 and game room
GV II*
Former mansion with attached chapel and service wings, now offices. 1790-93, by
William Wilkins the Elder, for Francis Rawdon Hastings, second Earl of Moira and
first Marquess of Hastings. Refurbished 1981-2 for British Midland Airways.
Ashlar, with some plaster details. Hipped slate roofs. Main house is of court-
yard plan, with chapel projecting to east, and service and stable wings project-
ing to north. Embellishments are in Perpendicular-Tudor style. Principal wings
are of 2 storeys, with 11-bay front to south. Chamfered plinth, moulded
strings, coped parapet with 3 pierced and cusped roundels to each bay. Between
bays are octagonal buttresses with crenellated turrets and small panelled and
gabled projections to front. larger turrets to end and centre bays have blind
panelling. Tall 3-pane sashes, all renewed C20, with Tudor hoodmoulds. Upper
windows have plaster aprons with cusped arched panels. Wider central bay has
3-light arched windows with cusped tracery, and central arched door, all in
Decorated style with crocketed ogee hoodmoulds, finials and carved head stops.
Above is inscription frieze dated 1792 commemorating gift of the estate from
Hastings' uncle, Francis, Earl of Huntingdon. Above this is a large lunette
with rose tracery and stained glass. Projecting to front of centre bay is a
taller porte-cochere with octagonal corner turrets, moulded arches, heraldic
cusped roundels in spandrels, and ribbed vault. Above vault is an upper chamber
with 5 arched 2-light windows to front, 2 windows to each side, and parapet with
pierced roundels and finials. East and west elevations of main house are
similar to main front but without elaborated centrepieces. Chapel: is in early
English-Decorated style, and has 4 bays of tall 2-light arched windows with
cusped tracery and flanking blind lancets. Larger 3-light east window in
similar style, all window surrounds with shafts. Tall arched door to left of
south front, with moulded arch on shafts and traceried spandrels and panel
above. Buttresses are reinforced with C20 wooden props. East gable end has
traceried battlements and cross finials, the left missing. Service and stable
wings are roughcast or rendered, and colourwashed, with slate roofs. Wing
immediately to north of chapel has ashlar battlements on east front, octagonal
bell-turret, and sash windows. To north of this is a coach-house with shaped
gable, flanking stable bays and a mews courtyard. This has 2-storey ranges with
central pediments and C20 barred wooden casements. Attached to west side of
stables is projecting passage to small octagonal game room. Game room retains
thrawls and central heptagonal stand with game hooks and frieze inscribed with
the days of the week. Other service buildings have been stripped of fittings.
Interior of house was much refurbished 1981-2 but retains many original
features. Entrance hall is in Gothick style with groin vault on clustered
corner shafts. Gothick fireplace with blind-traceried gable, crockets, finial
and coat-of-arms. Gothick doors with traceried panels and linenfold ornament.
Entrance to stair hall takes same form as main entrance to house, with ogee
doorway, windows, and lunette, the latter with mirror glazing. Stair hall is
oval, with ceiling and frieze in Adam style, and C20 reproduction balustrade of
wrought iron with lead ornament. Former dining room to right has segmental
ceiling vault with shallow coffering, marble fireplace with frieze of classical
figures, and end screen with Ionic columns of real porphyry scagliola. Drawing
room to left has deeply coffered ceiling with large plaster rosettes, guilloche
strips and scrolled cornice. Good panelled doors in panelled reveals. Library
retains book shelves with Ionic pilasters, and Jacobean-style fireplaces, but
has C20 ceiling. Chapel retains only fragments of former Gothick decoration.
Illustrated in Country Life, March 22nd 1977, p828-830.
Listing NGR: SK4205326875
