Doddington Hall

A country house built between 1777 and 1790, designed by Samuel Wyatt. The house is constructed of Keuper sandstone ashlar with a slate roof and lead flashings, and rises to three storeys.

Entrance Front

The entrance front extends to nine bays arranged symmetrically, with slightly projecting lateral bays and three central bays supporting a pediment. The ground floor features a deep plinth of smooth ashlar upon which the windows rest, above which is chamfered rustication. The windows throughout are sashes of three by two panes, except those in the lateral bays which are Diocletian windows. All windows have chamfered voussoirs.

At the centre is a ceremonial staircase built into the body of chamfered rustication. Two curved lower flights lead to a bridging flight that forms a porte-cochère over the ground floor doorway. This half-glazed doorway has a segmental relieving arch, as do those of the porte-cochère itself. Carved into the body of the lower two flights, opposite the doorway, is a round-headed niche.

The first floor has a central doorway set within a slightly recessed round-headed archway. This features a tripartite colonnade superimposed on the lower body, with Ionic demi-columns flanking the half-glazed double doors and quarter-columns to the sides. The side panels are blank, as is the archway above the frieze, save for a central medallion depicting a female figure wearing a himation. The three windows on either side of the centre are of three by four panes with hidden sash boxes. Above each is a rectangular panel with a moulded surround containing a swag and patera in relief.

The lateral bays have tripartite windows of similar form to the central doorway, with superimposed Ionic pillars and frieze and a blank arch over each containing a roundel. The left roundel shows a female figure riding a bull, while the right shows a similar figure on a ram. The left-hand window is a dummy.

Dividing the first floor from the second is a guilloche band upon which the second floor windows rest. These are all of three by three panes. The dentilled cornice supports a shallow parapet, and the central pediment also has a dentilled cornice surround and a plain block acroterion at the apex. The double-ridge roof has eight chimney stacks—four above this facade and four to the garden front—all of ashlar and rectangular in form, each with a moulded cornice.

The central staircase has a balustrade of delicately wrought ironwork with square bars and panels formed of addorsed S-scrolls containing anthemia.

Left-Hand Facade

The left-hand facade extends to three bays and has a plinth and chamfered rustication matching the entrance front, with similar smooth ashlar walling above. At the centre of the ground floor is a Diocletian window with sash windows of three by two panes on either side. The first floor has a tripartite window of similar form to the lateral windows on the entrance front, and the roundel above depicts two male figures, probably Castor and Pollux. The windows flanking this are of three by four sash panes with rectangular panels each containing a swag and patera similar to those on the entrance front. The same band runs between floors, and second floor windows are of three by three panes.

Garden Front

The garden front extends to nine bays. The lateral bays are similar to those on the entrance front, except the right-hand triple window is here a dummy. The left-hand roundel shows a female figure riding a horse with a fish's tail, while that at right shows a similar figure on a dolphin.

The three central bays take the form of a bow surmounted by a shallow dome. This has central double doors to the ground floor with lateral windows of three by two panes. The three first floor windows are all of three by four panes and the second floor windows all of three by three panes. The lateral windows of the bow have rectangular panels over of the usual form with swags and paterae. Above the central window is a roundel showing a lion in relief.

Service Wing

The service wing to the right of the entrance front, connected to the right-hand end of the house, is of rendered brick with a slate roof. It curves forward gently and is of two storeys and eleven bays. The three bays at the far left and the two at right project slightly. The ground floor windows are all of three by four panes and the first floor windows all of three by three panes, resting on a plain band except for one 20th-century window of two casement lights. Ground floor doors are positioned at the second and fifth bays from left. A moulded cornice tops the wall.

The rear is similar save that the windows are more widely spaced due to the curve of the wing. The fourth, fifth and sixth bays from the left are set in a wide shallow bow marking the kitchen, which is of two storeys. Here the ground floor windows are of four by four panes and the first floor windows of four by three panes, with double half-glazed doors at ground floor left.

Interior

Ground Floor

The circular billiards room has a wooden chimneypiece, doorcase and skirting all of softwood inset with pottery banding with a design of anthemia in relief. To east and west are two oval staircases of similar form rising through the house to oval skylights. Both have delicate wrought iron balustrades with oval panels of moulded lead in the form of foliage with central anthemia.

First Floor

At the centre of the north front is the entrance hall with double doors to the centre of the southern wall flanked by scagliola columns and segmental niches. A similar tripartite arrangement appears on the northern wall at either side of the half-glazed doors, save that the niches are here replaced by windows. Two lateral sets of doors to the eastern and western walls have central round-headed niches, that to the eastern wall containing a square cast iron stove bearing the Delves-Broughton arms.

All the sets of double mahogany doors on this floor have 'sympathetic hinges', a mechanism of pulleys that enables both doors to open when one is pushed. The frieze has triglyphs and the Delves crest of a pelican in a coronet to the metopes. The floor is stone flagged. Monochrome rectangular panels depict putti.

The Saloon at the centre of the southern front is circular in plan. The moulded ceiling has a central rosette surrounded by anthemia and a chain of ovals formed of laurel leaves around oval paterae. Anthemia and spirals of foliage decorate the frieze. The two doorcases have bands of bay leaf ornament to the door frieze and long tapering consoles to either side ending in lion masks in square frames. The chimneypiece of white marble has female figures to either side standing on plinths and holding swags. An oval panel to the centre shows Cupid. As elsewhere on this floor, the carving is of exceptional quality and in the style of the Westmacotts. The rectangular and circular painted panels to the upper walls showing scenes from classical mythology are in the style of Biagio Rebecca. The painted decoration to the pilaster strips showing medallions and foliage is by McLachlan of Morant & Co and dates from the late 19th or early 20th century.

The Broughton Room, formerly the dining room, has pilaster strips with vine trails in relief and shallow arched niches to either end. The chimneypiece is of white marble and has a fluted frieze with urns and finials. The lateral panels have poles surmounted by pineapples wreathed in swags of flowers and ribbons.

The Music Room has a coved ceiling with foliage patterning to the corners and palm leaves to the frieze. The chimneypiece of white marble has a fluted frieze and a central rectangular panel showing flowers and an urn with unusual instruments in shallow relief. The side panels show entwined cornucopiae.

The other rooms on this floor all have similar chimneypieces. The library has paired bookcases to either side of the fireplace and to either side of the doors, which are of tripartite form each with a decorated frieze and double doors below. The ante-library, originally a dressing room, is octagonal and has similar bookcases of bipartite form to three of the angles.

Second Floor

The second floor was designed as a spinal corridor connecting the two staircases, lined with pilasters, off which opens a semi-octagonal landing.