Thurnham Hall

Thurnham Hall is a house dating to around 1600, with possible earlier remains, and significantly re-fronted in 1823 by Robert Roper of Preston. It was restored from 1973 onwards following a period of neglect. The building is constructed of sandstone rubble, with an ashlar west front and a slate roof. It is three storeys high. The west front presents an almost symmetrical facade, incorporating an embattled parapet, a central shallow projection, and octagonal corner turrets. The central section of the ground floor projects further and also has an embattled parapet. Windows throughout have glazing bars, chamfered reveals, and decorative hoods. The bays to either side of the west front have ground-floor windows with Tudor-arched heads and six lights, formed by wooden mullions and transoms, the upper lights within the arches. The first floor features paired sash windows with a central stone mullion. The second floor has single-light windows. The central projection on the ground floor has two large windows of six lights with mullions and transoms, and Tudor arches over the upper lights. The first floor has two separate sash windows sharing a hood, and a pair of sashes with a central stone mullion. The second floor has two single-light windows. The north gable wall displays original masonry and two cross-windows with an outer chamfer and an inner hollow chamfer. The north wall of the rear wing shows complex re-building, including a section with a plinth and a weathered offset, which is believed to be part of an earlier structure. Windows in this wing include one of nine lights with mullions and transoms. The rear portion of the wing is of a separate build, and some mullioned windows are incorporated. The south wall of the rear wing has one bay with Venetian windows on each floor. A semi-octagonal projection extends from the rear of the main block, along with a doorway featuring a chamfered surround and Tudor-arched head, and two cross-windows illuminating the stair. Internally, the rear wing contains timber-framed internal partitioning. The Great Hall features a moulded fireplace with a Tudor arch, a restored plaster frieze, and oak panelling brought in during restoration. A later 17th-century addition to the rear of the hall includes an open-well staircase with a closed string, square newels with ball finials, and turned balusters. On the first floor, a small chamber is located within the wall behind a fireplace, and is said to have been a priest's hide.