Great Moreton Hall

Great Moreton Hall is a country house built between 1841 and 1843 by the architect Edward Blore for George Ackers. The building is constructed of coursed sandstone ashlar and snecked sandstone rubble with a slate roof. It stands two storeys high with towers rising to three and four storeys, built in a castellated Gothic style.

Entrance Front

The entrance front is arranged with the principal body of the house to the right and the service wing and stable court to the left. The principal body has six bays disposed near-symmetrically and features a projecting plinth with a moulded top. At the centre of the ground floor is a porte-cochere with diagonal buttresses to the corners and triple-arched openings to each side with continuous hood-mould. Above is a frieze of blind tracery below the battlemented parapet, to the centre of which is a projecting canopied niche containing a seated figure.

To either side at ground floor level are cross-windows with chamfered ashlar surrounds and trefoil heads to the lights with Tudor hood-moulds. Similar two-light windows without transoms appear at first floor level. At the centre is a slightly projecting first-floor bay with a canted bay window which has trefoil-heads to the lights and a panel of blind tracery below the battlemented parapet, which is common to this whole block.

To the right-hand corner is an octagonal staircase turret which rises to a third storey and has string courses and slit-windows. To the left-hand corner is a square projecting bay with similar ground and first-floor windows as seen on the rest of the facade. To its left is a slightly projecting square staircase turret which has machicolation below the projecting third storey and gargoyles at the level of the flat parapet.

To the left of this block and recessed is a large square tower which rises above the staircase hall. This is of snecked sandstone and has an octagonal turret to its right-hand corner rising to a fifth floor. It has a two-light window to the third floor with a relieving arch above it and two lancet lights to the fourth floor, with a battlemented parapet above.

To the left of this is the service wing, which is flush with the principal range and also of two storeys although of lesser height. This has three bays to the far left divided by buttresses and with slit windows. To the right of these is a three-storey gate-tower which has a chamfered archway to the ground floor, a central canopied niche to the first floor with lancet windows to either side, and two further lancets to the second floor.

To the right of this, connecting with the principal range, is a range of eight bays consisting of five cross windows to the ground floor with two single-light and one three-light window, all having chamfered surrounds and Tudor hood moulds. To the first floor are seven two-light windows and one single-light window, with a battlemented parapet above.

To the left of this range is the projecting stable-yard range with walling of snecked sandstone rubble. The right-hand side wall has slit windows to the ground floor and three two-light 20th-century windows to the first floor. At the angle is a canted corner with a camber-arched doorway with four outer arches modelled as if to accommodate portcullis channels. Further slit windows appear to the left of this.

The main front of this range has an entrance tower at left of centre with a chamfered pointed archway and machicolation below the first floor. To the right are five bays, the fourth from right having a hexagonal staircase turret. Lancet windows with ashlar surrounds appear to both floors, the bays being divided by buttresses with offsets. Two similar bays appear to the left of the entrance tower. To the left is a turret with a jettied battlemented parapet.

Right-Hand Side

The right-hand side of the house has a projecting bay at right with a projecting plinth, incorporating a basement lancet window. Diagonal buttresses appear to the corners, and to the first floor is a jettied oriel window resting on a moulded support and having two central lights and single lights to the angles.

To the left is a portion of recessed wall which has a canted bay window to its right with two central lights and single lights to the angles, with a battlemented parapet above. To the left is a three-light window with trefoil heads to the lights and a Tudor hood-mould. To the first floor are four two-light windows with trefoil heads and hood moulds, with a battlemented parapet above. To the far left is an octagonal turret which has lancet lights.

Rear Elevation

The rear has the principal range at left which has to its right the hall, which is of two-storey height. This has a square oriel window at right with diagonal buttresses to the corners and a tripartite window with pointed arches to the centre and single pointed lights to the sides, the central window having curvilinear tracery.

To the left are three two-light windows with pointed arches, and at left again is a canted bay window before which is a staircase of two flights of later date. The bay window has a two-light pointed window to the centre and single-light lancets to the angles, with a battlemented parapet above.

To the left is a range of two-storey height to the left of which is a rectangular bay window which dies at first floor level via broaches to become a canted bay window. This has a central three-light window with single-light windows to either side and similar single-lights to the returns. Similar arrangement appears at first floor level, with a battlemented parapet above.

To the right and slightly recessed is a three-light ground floor window with a similar window without a transom to the first floor. The tower at right and recessed behind the hall range has a two-light window to the third floor with a relieving arch over and two lancet lights to the fourth floor.

At right of this range and slightly recessed is the service wing, which is here of five bays with three three-light windows, one two-light and one single-light window. To the first floor are two three-light windows, one two-light and three single-light windows, all with Tudor hood-moulds. A projecting chimney breast at right has offsets, with a battlemented parapet above.

To the right again are five bays of less height with lancet windows at right of this. Slightly projecting is the wall of the drying ground which has decorative blind lancets and buttresses.

Interior

The porte-cochere has a tierceron vaulted roof with decorative bosses including the dates 1841 and 1843 to either side of the central boss. A wide flight of stairs rises to the outer lobby which is divided from the porte-cochere by a tripartite screen which is now glazed. Panelled double doors lead to the entrance hall which has arcaded panelling to the dado. The ashlar chimney piece has floral decoration to the frieze and a brattished parapet with a central pedestal. The ceiling is panelled with moulded plaster ribs and bosses.

The entrance hall leads through to the Central Hall which has a panelled wooden ceiling with a central rectangular lantern which also has a panelled ceiling with bosses. Arcaded panelling below the dado line is of similar form to that in the entrance hall. An elaborate painted ashlar fire surround has a cambered archway to the centre to either side of which are corbels. Foliate ornament appears to the frieze and a hipped top with a central coat of arms in a moulded surround. Two tripartite screens separate this hall from the staircase hall.

The staircase is of imperial form and the panelled lower newel posts have crocketed pinnacles and connect to the piers of one screen by means of short flying buttresses. The staircase diminishes in width as it rises and has stained-glass windows with curvilinear tracery to the half landing and upper landing. The ceiling is vaulted and has plaster ribs and bosses.

The axis formed by the porte-cochere, lobby and entrance hall continues on the other side of the Central Hall in the form of a screens passage to the Great Hall which has wooden panelling and terminates in the canted bay window. Double wooden panelled doors at either side lead to the saloon and the Great Hall.

The Great Hall has wooden panelling to the lower wall of oak with trefoil and quatrefoil-headed panels. The fire surround of ashlar has massive corbels to either side which support niches with diapered patterns to their backs. These niches have trefoil heads which are supported by corbels which take the form of knights. A decorative band of quatrefoil panels containing shields appears below the level of the mantel which has a brattished edge. The roof is of hammerbeam form with arched windbracing and two purlins and a moulded ridge beam. The oriel window and the serving bay both have vaulted ceilings of plaster.

Above the screens passage is a gallery with arcaded wooden balustrade to the rear of which is a raised platform. In this respect and in several other details the hall is similar to that built by W A Nicholson and Charles Tennyson d'Eynecourt at Bayons Manor Lincolnshire in 1836-44.

The saloon has two alabaster fire surrounds with ogee arches. Corbels to either side of knights forming brackets. Ball-flower ornament to the mantel frieze and rinceau scrollwork above. The ceiling is dissected into square panels which are subdivided into triangular panels with coats of arms to their centres. An elaborate frieze appears below. The former drawing room and library also have panelled plaster ceilings.