Raby Park House and Butler Cottage and Outbuildings

Details

RABY WITH KEVERSTONE

1400/0/10003 RABY PARK 30-MAR-06 RABY PARK HOUSE AND BUTLER COTTAGE AND OUTBUILDINGS

II House and attached cottage, 18th century. Part of a group of estate buildings which serviced Raby Castle. Coursed squared sandstone blocks with ashlar quoins and detailing, later stone chimney stacks and tiled and oversailing hipped and pitched roofs. PLAN: elongated linear plan with principal house at east, cottage and outshut attached to west. EXTERIOR: FRONT (South) ELEVATION to gardens with symmetrical principal house of 3 bays and 2 storeys above cellar; plinth. Central projecting bay with pedimented gable; steps up to central doorway with 6-panelled framed door, plain architrave and large rectangular fanlight with pediment over. Flanking ground floor window openings and 3 first floor window openings all incorporating later horned sash frames. Attached cottage, incorporating single storey service range which has been raised; 2 storeys and 2 bays with plain façade interrupted by 4 window openings incorporating horned sashes. Steps up to 6-panelled framed door with simple plain architrave and 3-light rectangular fanlight. The outbuildings comprise a single storey outshut containing sheds/stores ending in pig sty with hen house over. REAR (North) ELEVATION: plain façade with plinth. Scattered fenestration, 2 original later 18th century stair windows of 24 panes; remainder of window frames are not original and blocked openings to cellars. House and cottage each accessed by plain rear doorways via stone steps. INTERIORS: Raby Park House: retains most of its original 18th century plan including central hall with principal ground and first floor rooms on south side overlooking gardens; main staircase to rear with cellar below. Many contemporary features with good survival of eighteenth century carpentry and joinery including panelled doors, surrounds and reveals. Unusual shutters to dining and sitting room, former adorned with thin mouldings to reflect Chinese fashion of the day, and the latter fold back into rebated panel within wall. Marble fireplace lintel decorated with fine palm leaves incorporated into dining room fireplace indicates work by quality estate craftsmen. Staircase in original position, probably original with turned balusters, although upper landing has been raised and adapted; modern closed string to staircase. Butler Cottage, originally single storey service wing reflected in ground floor plan containing kitchen, larder with ceiling hooks and stone slab bench and possible butler's room. Subsequently raised in height. Original features including panelled doors and architraves, shutters; cellar with wine bins. Fine dog-leg staircase with stick balusters and ramped handrail. Outbuilding with slab floor and corner fireplace. HISTORY: These two houses form part of a larger group of service and farm buildings set on an island of estate activity within the extensive parkland surrounding Raby Castle. The grouping of these buildings appears to be part of an overall estate plan to re-design the park of c. 1755-65. Joseph Spence was advising on the parkland landscaping and James Paine is said to have designed some of the estate buildings as well as having carried out alterations to the castle itself. Raby Park House is thought to have been built in the third quarter of the 18th century and Butler Cottage in the fourth quarter, the latter originally as a single storey service wing to the larger house. The finer dating of these buildings is however rather difficult as large estates such as this have invariably used and re-used interior features of different periods.

These two houses and attached outbuildings of 18th century date, form part of the wider Raby Estate. They retain their historic plan forms and preserve a large number of original features, some of which are particularly distinctive. They are of special architectural interest and their inclusion on the Statutory List is fully justified.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

495237

Legacy System:

LBS

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