Shippon at Meols Hall

This shippon, or cowshed, was built in 1951 by Roger Fleetwood Hesketh, an amateur architect, for his own use. It is constructed of brick with stone dressings and quoins, and has stone slate roofs.

The building has a symmetrical design, divided into three parts, with a two-storey central section flanked by four-bay wings that lead to single-storey pavilions at each end. The eastern elevation, which faces the farmyard, has folding doors within a stone architrave surround with a fanlight and keystone above. There are square sash windows with small panes in stone architraves on the first floor. The wings feature three-bay square arcades with square piers, complete with small capitals, leading to the end pavilions, which have stable doors and toplights. The western elevation, facing the park, mirrors the eastern elevation in its symmetry, but features double doors under the fanlight, without a stone surround.

The building’s construction reflects the Hesketh family’s return to Meols Hall in 1938, which they had previously left in the 18th century when the family estate moved to Rossall. Roger Fleetwood Hesketh, who had studied at the Architectural Association and traveled extensively to observe architecture, designed the shippon as a precursor to other new buildings on the estate, intended to house his herd of Jersey cows. It is considered a notably well-executed example of Palladian style and complements the listed house and surrounding farm buildings.