Details
DENTON DENTON PARK
SE 14 NW
9/22 Denton Hall and attached
forecourt walls and
6.2.52 railings
(formerly listed as Hall)
GV I
Country house, now management training centre and offices. 1778 by John
Carr for Sir James Ibbetson, restored 1976. Ashlar, grey slate roofs,
wooden cupolas with lead domes; wrought-iron gates and railings. A
Palladian mansion composed of a main block of 2 storeys with basement and
9 x 7 bays with flanking 2-storey pavillions of 3 x 4 bays, each flanked by
former open yards, linked to main block by curved single-storey corridors.
A chamfered plinth to the main block, basement storey, continues through to
the pavillions at ground-floor window-sill level. Facade, main block (south
front): 6 steps with low flanking walls to a terrace in front of the centre
3 bays; 2 more steps to the glazed double doors in architrave with bolection
moulding and segmental dentilled pediment. Flanking sash windows with
glazing bars have similar architraves and pediments, and a blind balustrade
with vase balusters beneath. The 3 outer windows each side are similar but
with triangular pediments. Moulded sill band. 9-pane sashes in architraves
to first floor. The central 3 bays have giant Ionic columns with crowning
cornice and modillioned pediment, deep modillioned eaves cornice and
balustraded parapet. Hipped roof. 9 regularly-spaced multi-flue corniced
ridge stacks: 2 flank central 3 bays, 2 to sides and 3 along rear ridge.
Attached to front, low balustraded forecourt walls with gate piers to sides,
approximately 2.5 metres high with recessed panels, dentilled cornices and
flat caps topped by C20 lamps, plus scrolled ironwork gates. Railings and
flight of stone steps to front. Facade of pavilions: both have sashes with
glazing bars to ground floor and 9-pane sashes above. A projecting first-
floor band follows the line of the coping to the link-wall with the main
block. Modillioned eaves cornice, hipped roofs with cupolas: base having
roundels for clock faces and attached corner columns; Doric columns support
entablature and dome; the left dome surmounted by a weather-vane. 2 lateral
stacks to west pavilion, 4 to east. Each pavilion has an outer flanking
wall, formerly enclosing an open yard; that to the right is roofed over.
The west (left) pavilion yard wall has a wrought-iron gate in eared
architrave. Linking walls to main house: west side is obscured by a glazed
corridor with pointed domed skylight; the east wall has a plain C20 door in
an architrave with cornice flanked by pilasters. Rear, main block: steps
down to basement entrance bay 3. The central 3 bays project slightly and
are crowned by a triangular pediment. Round-headed sashes with glazing bars
to ground floor with moulded sill band, square-headed to first floor. Plain
entablature, deep moulded cornice and blocking course. Pavilions: left
(east); flanking ramped yard walls have sashes flanked by small round
lights; right (west) - frames with leaded lights to ground floor, sashes
with glazing bars above; flanking ramped yard walls each have a 6-panel
door. Left return, main block: central 3 bays canted; sashes with glazing
bars to ground floor linked by a moulded sill band; 9-pane sashes to first
floor. Cornice and parapet as front. The ground-floor left window (now a
door) obscured by the glazed single-storey corridor. Right return, main
block: as left, but the plinth is pierced by 7 sash windows to basement.
Side elevations of pavilions have ground floors obscured by walls, first
floors have sashes with glazing bars. Interior: the 5 ground-floor rooms
have Adam-style plasterwork, 6-panelled doors in elaborate architraves and
internal window shutters. The principal rooms comprise: entrance hall with
4 wooden Ionic columns in antis, fireplace with fluted surround to left and
a round-arched recess with mirror right; plaster ceiling with profile busts
of emperors; drawing room, ground floor left: marble fireplace with stag in
relief, overmantel with fluted Corinthian columns, broken pediment enclosing
urn with vine leaf swags; plaster ceiling; former dining room ground floor,
right: fireplace in white and dark green marble has oval plaques with
classical figures representing music and dancing, ceiling plastered with
urns, swags and scrolls; the breakfast room, east side, centre: reached
through an anti-room with carved doors to dining room and service areas,
apsidal ends, with arched recesses containing mahogany side boards supported
by paired fluted Doric columns, plaster ceiling; staircase hall and lady's
dressing room (now board room) west side, centre: fine cantilevered spiral
staircase with wrought-iron scrolled balustrade and domed plastered ceiling;
the rear range of rooms was altered in the C19 when a stone fireplace wasp
inserted into the library, the overmantel incorporating 5 late medieval
carved figures of the Madonna and child, and saints. The room contains
linen-fold panelling, a coffered ceiling with carved bosses, a deeply-
moulded cross beam where an original dividing wall was removed. First-floor
rooms not examined at resurvey. West pavilion: formerly housing the wash
house, laundry, hot and cold baths and dressing room, it was converted into
a ballroom in the late C19 - early C20 with Gothick-arched windows and
strapwork ceiling; the Jacobean-style fireplace has coats of arms over vine
scrolls. East pavilion; formerly the kitchen block, this has been
converted into a lecture hall. Denton Hall is associated with the Fairfax
family, the second Lord Fairfax being the leader of the Parliamentary forces
in the Civil Wars. The old hall stood on higher ground to the north of the
present site. The estate was sold by the widow of Thomas Fairfax to James
or Henry Ibbetson of Red Hall near Leeds and a new house was built in 1734
after the earlier building was burnt down. The present house, built in
1778, was the seat of Sir Henry Ibbetson, bart, in 1802. In 1976 the estate
was bought by N G Bailey and Co Ltd and the house was converted into a
management training centre. G Richardson, New Vitruvius Britanicus, London
1802, Plate LIV; H Speight, Upper Wharfedale, 1900, p 172.
Listing NGR: SE1476548694
