Details
SNAITH AND COWICK SNAITH ROAD
SE 62 SE
(south side, off)
East Cowick
3/85 Cowick Hall
23.4.52
GV
Country house, now offices. 1660-90 for Sir John Dawnay, first Viscount
Downe; alterations of 1752-60 by James Paine for third Viscount, Henry
Pleydell Dawnay, included internal remodelling, rebuilding south entrance
and re-setting roof balustrade; alterations of 1790s and 1804-11 for John
Dawnay, 5th Viscount and Baron of Cowick, included west staircase and
internal remodelling by Joseph Bonomi, and addition of external south
gallery; alterations of 1869-80 for Henry and Benjamin Shaw included
internal remodelling, new openings to east and west sides, alteration of
original flat roof to double-span; renovations and minor alterations of 1956
and later by Croda International PLC. Magnesian limestone ashlar and brick:
ashlar to north front, rendered to north pediment, south front and east and
west sides. Westmorland slates to outer roof slopes, Welsh slates to inner
slopes. Wrought-iron balustrades to external staircases. Plan (largely
dating from 1870s remodelling): double-pile, with cruciform hall-corridor,
forming 4-room central entrance-hall north and south fronts, with staircases
to sides. North and south fronts: 2 storeys with basement and attic, 4:1:4
bays. Principal north front: rusticated basement supporting giant order of
Roman Ionic pilasters. Perron with flight of 11 stone steps, outer wrought-
iron balustrade of tapered octagonal column-on-vase balusters between square
piers with C20 ball finials, and inner stone balustrade with bulbous
balusters and inner piers carrying cast-iron lamps. Tripartite Ionic porch,
with 2-fold 6-panel door (all panels glazed) and blind side-panels in
pilastered surround with plain entablature and central projecting columned
porch with pediment, all beneath a blind elliptical arch of 1752-60 with
impost band and archivolt. Side bays have 6-pane basement sashes in reveals
with keyed rusticated flat arches, and 12-pane ground-floor sashes in
architraves with balustraded aprons, entablatures with pulvinated friezes,
moulded cornices and hoods on consoles, those to bays 2, 4, 6 and 8 with
segmental pediments. Moulded first-floor sill string course. 12-pane
first-floor sashes in architraves, those to bays 2, 4, 6 and 8 with
entablatures; central window with entablature, consoles and segmental
pediment similar to ground floor. Deep eaves cornice supported on pairs of
large acanthus brackets above each pilaster, pediment to 3 central bays with
giant carved and painted Dawnay achievement with quartered arms in cartouche
surmounted by coronet, supported by lions rampant and with motto TIMET
PUDOREM below. Ashlar balustraded parapet. Hipped roof with 4 dormers
containing 6-pane sashes in architraves and shouldered surrounds with
moulded cornice and pediment. Pair of rendered stacks with band, dentilled
cornices and blocking courses; similar stacks to side elevations. South
front: central bay breaks forward, pedestals to basement supporting giant
order of Doric pilasters with flush ashlar bands at mid ground-floor level.
Basement: 6-pane sashes, chamfered ground-floor string course. Flight of 12
steps to external ashlar gallery to 3 central bays supported on plain short
Greek Doric columns, with
Continued ....
Cowick Hall Continued ...
wrought-iron balustrade of scrolled panels with thistle ornament, and cast-
iron columned piers to staircase with lamps. Ground floor: central
recessed 2-fold glazed doors with late C19 stained-glass overlight in
architrave with pediment on consoles; 12-pane sashes in architraves with
sill string course and entablatures with pulvinated friezes and pediments to
alternate bays; French windows to fourth bay. 12-pane first-floor sashes in
architraves, that to centre in eared and shouldered architrave with scrolled
acanthus consoles, cornice and hood. Similar eaves cornice to north front.
5 pedimented dormers with glazing bars, 4 similar stacks. West elevation
has similar giant Doric pilasters, ground-floor string course, stone
staircase with wrought-iron balustrade of scrolled panels with thistle
ornament to late C19 round-headed entrance to third bay flanked by round-
arched side lights in architraves; similar tripartite round-headed first-
floor window above with pilastered surround; 12-pane ground- and first-floor
to second bay in ashlar architraves. East elevation has pair of giant Doric
pilasters to right, similar stone staircase with re-set wrought-iron
balustrade to late C19 twin round-headed entrance with side light; twin
round-headed first-floor sashes above. Interior. 1870s entrance hall and
corridor have Corinthian angle pilasters; south hall and west corridor
contain 2 good plaster relief tablets and 14 roundels with classical scenes,
attributed to John Flaxman; round-arched entrance to south-west library
(perhaps original C17 or C18) with panelled reveal, round-arched pilastered
doorway to south-east room; fine flying west staircase (re-set in 1870s) by
Bonomi, has moulded ramped handrail, wrought-iron lattice-work balustrade
with scrolls, geometric panels and Greek key frieze, and later wrought-iron
suspension bar to landing with thistle ornament; flying east staircase of
1870s with turned balusters, perhaps late C17 re-used. South-west library,
partly remodelled in C19 (probably by Bonomi), with fitted desks and
bookcases with wrought-iron lattice grilles to doors, incorporates C18
ornate carved skirting, dado rail, moulded panelled window reveals and doors
in architraves, moulded plaster cornices. Other C18 details include:
dentilled cornice to north-west room; carved skirting, dado rail and cornice
(concealed by suspended ceiling) to south-east room; on first floor: carved
window surrounds and cornices to central north and west rooms, carved
skirting and dado rail to east rooms. C19 cornices to halls and other main
rooms, those to ground-floor central rooms particularly ornate, with foliate
ceiling roses. Panelled window reveals and 6-panel doors thoughout,
mahogany doors to main rooms in re-set C18 moulded architraves, re-set C18
doors with moulded panels elsewhere. Attic retains fragments of former
servants rooms with plain moulded cornice. Basement has tunnel-vaulted
chambers and 4-bay quadripartite vault to north-west with cylindrical ashlar
pier; cellars to north, beneath north terrace, have tunnel vaults and 6-bay
quadripartite vault on square brick piers. The main fronts of Cowick Hall
are among the most accomplished C17 country house designs in the country.
N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, The West Riding, 1959,
p 171. J Killeen, A Short History of Cowick Hall, 1967, 46 pp. Photographs
in NMR.
Listing NGR: SE6568021107
