Hawthorn Hall And Parts Of Front Garden Walls

SJ 88 SW WILMSLOW FORMER U.D. HALL ROAD (West Side)

1/281 Hawthorn Hall and parts of front garden walls.

30/3/1951

GV II*

Formerly hall, later school, now offices: dated 1698 for John Leigh but traces of earlier timber-framed core. English garden wall bond plum brick with Kerridge stone-slate roof, stone ridge and 3 brick chimneys. Long rectangular plan. North front is nearly symmetrical of 2½ storeys and 4 gables each with replaced barge-boards and mace finials. Brick band at 1st floor. Pairs of wooden mullioned and transomed windows under each gable. 2 with original rectangular leaded glazing, the rest with applied lead glazing, all under flat wedged brick heads. Central doorcase has plain pilasters with a segmental hood over a cartouche with the date, and a C20 copy of a studded oak 4-board door. Above this bay on a stone-coped eaves is a short balustrade, the end balusters are carved figures, the rest clasped by acanthus leaves. All this has 2 pine cone and a ball finial. Behind is an octagonal wooded half-glazed lantern with a lead cupola and weathervane. South front is similar but doorcase not central and with fluted sub-classical pilasters, no hood and a plaque with a lion rampant Balustrade now reduced but with evidence of twisted balusters, smaller pine cones and a ball finial with an odd cap. East front is twin gabled. Interior: 2 rooms, one to right and one above entrance have oak-panelled walls with 2-levels of bolection moulded panels, a moulded cornice and exposed ceiling beams. 2 and 3 panelled doors with raised fields survive to most rooms. Dogleg staircase has twisted balusters, and twisted newels and panelling above the wall string. Rooms at the south end of house show parts of timber-framing and later and daub infill, of an external wall of the previous house. There is a suggestion of close-studding. These rooms have ovolo-moulded beams.

From south-east and north-east corners of house run intact brick garden walls with stone coping, each with a rusticated gate surround, one with scrolled tops, one with curlicues. At each corner with the house is a pine cone finial.

Listing NGR: SJ8426281282