Details
TF 63 SE SNETTISHAM KEN HILL
4/28 Ken Hill.
15.10.81.
- II*
House. 1878-9 by J.J. Stevenson for Edward Green (1831-1923), Yorkshire
industrialist and inventor of "Green's Economiser", previously patron of Thomas
Jekyll. Sometimes called 'Snettisham New Hall', but built as a retreat, not
a country house: "not a gentleman's House" : Building News 2nd May 1879.
Squared, coursed dressed carstone, plain-tiled roofs, some free-stone
dressings. T plan. 3 storeys at north-east, 2 storeys with attics in centre,
2 storeys at south-east. Reception rooms on piano nobile: dining room, saloon
and drawing room arranged to correspond as recommended in Stevenson's House
Architecture (1880) with the mediaeval sequence of kitchen/screens, hall
and solar. First major provincial example of the "Queen Anne" or "Domestic
Revival" style, a fusion of free "Gothic" planning with "Free Classic" detail.
Central "hall" range of 6 bays, staircase and entrance at north, 3 bay centre,
single bay oriel at south, with 4 casement cross windows with 3 ranks of paired
glazing barred lights. Gibbs raised rusticated surrounds with arched heads
infilled with keystones. Ground floor has 3 arched headed sashes with glazing
bars, external staircase with stone balusters and coping, with Gibbs surround
segmental arch below to ground floor door. Elaborate piano nobile doorcase
with fluted columns, baseless pediment with keystone, 2 leaf raised and fielded
oak doors. Casement cross window above with bowed stone balcony on carved
brackets with wrought iron railings below and half-dormer head with arch,
keystones, Gibbs surround above. String courses at bases and heads of "hall"
windows, pulvinated frieze and wooden eaves cornice. Steeply pitched roof
with 4 sashed and glazing barred dormers with broken pediment gables with
central roundels. Single ridge stack, paired end stacks with connecting
bridges and pulvinated frieze coping, at south. At south east in "solar"
position, 2 storey projection, 2 ground floor arched windows, first floor
Gibbs surround sash window with arched half dormer head. Return to garden
with 2 storey 3 sided canted bow window projection with copper roof, all sashes
with glazing bars. At north-east returned gable wing containing dining room,
blank ground floor, first floor 3 sided canted oak-framed oriel Gibbs surround
and segmental blank arched head Gibbs surround window above with arched,
keyed head, both sashes with glazing bars. Rusticated quoins and blank
rusticated panel on ground floor. To north wall with 3 Gibbs surround blank
niches screening service court to rear. At rear 3 storey service pile with
returned south gable wing. Contemporary service wing at rear with 2 lean-
to ranges at north east, curtain wall at north west, 1930s single storey
carstone and tiled addition towards garden at south west. Interior: services
on ground floor except for late C17 style panelled Smoking Room. Dining Room
largely moulded and carved wooden decoration, Saloon wood and plaster, Drawing
Room entirely Neo-Adam style plaster work with inlaid marble fireplace. De
Morgan tiles to many fireplaces. Repositioned overmantel by Jeckyll with
base reliefs of Green's sons, perhaps from Jeckyll's early remodeling Heath
Hall, Wakefield. "The freedom from the imitation of anything in particular
and yet the character of period allegiance are indeed Remarkable" (Pevsner,
North West Norfolk (1962) p.318, Mark Girouard, Victorian Country House,
(2nd ed 1979), pp. 366-374, ibid Sweetness and Light, (1977) pp. 118-119.
Listing NGR: TF6753534938
