Details
TA 01 NE THORNTON CURTIS STATION ROAD
(north side)
9/86 Thornton Hall, pavilion
wings and flanking screen
walls
19.10.51
GV II *
Small country house. 1695-1700 for Sir Rowland Wynne; internal
alterations, attic, pavilions and screen walls built in 1769, perhaps by
John Billington. Attic raised in C19; C20 alterations to left wing. Rubbed
red brick in Flemish bond with limestone ashlar dressings. Slate roof to
main block, pantiles to wings. Plan: 2-room front, double-depth, with
entrance hall to right and stairhall to rear. 3 storeys, 7 bays;
symmetrical, the narrow single side bays set back and carrying chimneys. 2
low storey 3-bay pavilions with flanking curved wing walls. Main block has
moulded ashlar plinth, quoins to central section, and side bays. Flight of
5 stone steps to central 2-fold 6-fielded-panel door and 8-pane overlight in
eared architrave with pulvinated frieze, panelled pilasters and carved
consoles supporting broken segmental pediment. 18-pane ground floor sashes
in similar eared architraves with moulded cills, pulvinated friezes and
segmental pediments. Similar sashes in eared architraves to first floor.
Ground and first floor sashes have heavy glazing bars. Bold wooden acanthus
modillion cornice. Attic storey, in two builds, has recessed 12-pane sashes
with cills and flat brick arches; stone-coped parapet. Side bays have
narrow 12-pane sashes to ground and first floor in ashlar architraves with
cills; 1769 downpipes in angles have ornate rainwater heads with Wynne arms
or monogram. Hipped roof. Axial stack with quoins, pairs of massive
lateral stacks of 2 stages with quoins, moulded ashlar cornices. Pavilions
in matching style and materials, set forward slightly from side bays:
quoins, ashlar cill band, 12-pane ground floor sashes in reveals with flat
rubbed brick arches; 3-course brick first floor band, top course moulded, 6-
pane first floor sashes in similar openings, and painted stepped and
dentilled brick eaves cornice. Hipped roofs; pair of large axial stacks
with brick bands and stepped cornices. Screen walls set back to either side
incorporate later extensions to house, with curved sections containing
round-headed arcades with 2-course brick impost bands, stepped cornices and
stone coping. 3 bays to right with ramped wall to right end and later
openings for outbuildings. Wall to left has round arch with C20 French
windows and 2 similar windows in 5-bay curved arcade to left, continued as
coped garden wall. Rear of main house block has chamfered plinth with pairs
of 2-light chamfered ashlar mullion cellar windows flanking central 2-fold
half glazed door with C20 hood, sashes in flush wood architraves under flat
rubbed brick arches, wooden modillion cornice; leaded casement to right side
bay; casements with glazing bar to pavilions. Ornate dentilled rainwater
head to left side bay inscribed 'Chapman Fecit 1769'. Interior. Entrance
hall has fielded-panel dado and moulded rail, stone bolection-moulded
chimneypiece, bolection overmantel with fluted pilasters and moulded
cornice; round-headed doorway to stairhall with panelled pilasters, keyed
archivolt and cornice. Stairhall has very fine open well cantilevered oak
staircase with ramped handrail, wide treads each with pairs of column-on-
vase balusters with rounded knops; panelled dado with pilasters supporting
rail. The 3 main ground floor rooms each have very fine bolection
panelling, moulded skirting, dado rail, cornice, bolection chimneypiece with
panelled overmantel, large 6-fielded panel doors and fielded-panel window
reveals and shutters in architraves: front left has stone chimneypiece with
carved frieze and mantlepiece, rear right has round-headed cupboard with
panelled pilasters, keyed archivolt and fielded-panel doors. First floor
hall has round-headed door with pilasters, keyed archivolt with pulvinated
frieze and cornice. First floor rooms each have partial bolection and
fielded panelling, moulded dado rail, cornice, bolection chimneypieces and
panelled overmantel: chimneypiece to front left has carved frieze. Closets
off first floor rooms in side bays. Good staircase to first and second
floors, probably original main staircase of 1690's, with pulvino cornice
string, moulded handrail and drop-on-bulb balusters with circular knops.
Late C18 - early C19 stone staircase to right pavilion with ramped handrail
and plain balusters. 3-bay elliptical brick barrel-vaulted cellar. N
Pevsner and J Harris, The Buildin s of England: Lincolnshire, 1978, 404-5;
Drawing by C Nattes, 1796, Banks Collection, Lincoln City Library; Plans by
JB 1760, Nostell Papers,
C3441-2; NMR.
Listing NGR: TA0943918080
