The Hall (Now Borough Council Offices)

The Hall, now Borough Council Offices

This is an important house of the Pennyman family, dating from circa 1700 with substantial additions and remodelling from around 1780. It is built in red brick with stone dressings, mostly painted. The 1780 work was executed in a conservative manner that follows the lines of the older building, creating a sympathetic and successful fusion of the two periods. Much of the work is of the highest quality.

The building is two storeys high. The east front is five windows wide with a strongly marked centre. Late 18th-century sash windows have gauged heads with stone triple keyblocks and moulded stone cills. Stone long and short quoins frame the facade. A boldly projecting stone base is crowned by a cove mould, with a modillion crowning cornice in wood. Three pedimented sash dormers pierce the roof of graded Westmorland slate, which is hipped. A flight of six moulded steps with returns of natural stone, dating to circa 1780, leads to the entrance.

The centrepiece features a tetrastyle Roman Doric portico of shallow projection with correct responds and a centre intercolumniation of double width. The columns are sandstone monoliths. An inner range of two further columns screens a deep recess into the body of the house. This open vestibule appears to have been modified around 1800, with rounded inner angles. The doorway contains a semi-circular fanlight and a reeded architrave in painted stone, with double doors having solid lower panels and upper ones glazed in six small panes. Two shallow round-headed niches with reeded edges flank the side walls, which have dado and plaster cornice. A plain stone lintel with moulded cornice is supported by the portico columns. Above this is a balustrade and a triple window with a wide centre opening containing two rather narrow sashes, flanked by two small Greek Ionic attached columns. The outer faces of the small side windows are flanked by Ionic pilasters, with the entablature broken over the centre opening.

The south front features two large semi-octagonal bays, each three windows wide. The east bay dates to approximately 1700 and the west one to 1780. Both possess moulded cill strings to the first floor and gauged arches with stone keyblocks, though the 1780 bay is taller and projects upward into the roof. The base, quoins, and crowning cornice details repeat those of the east side, as does the design of one dormer. The bays have Westmorland slate roofs with lead ridges.

The west front, dating to 1780, is five windows wide with details repeating the other fronts, apart from lighter boxings to larger windows. The north front follows similar lines but is entirely of 1700 and preserves some original heavy sashes. A discreet service wing is attached.

The interior contains remains of bolection moulded panelling on the first floor. The very spacious staircase hall features a cantilevered wooden staircase of 1780 with a coved ceiling decorated in the Adam style and a dome light. Adam doorcases with mahogany doors lead to the principal rooms; those to the Dining and Drawing Rooms are richly detailed and of first quality.

The two main rooms of 1780 are of considerable size with mouldings enriched with carving. The Drawing Room has a bowed end, a very elaborate Adam ceiling, and hand-painted Chinese wallpaper. The Dining Room walls are panelled and enriched with arabesques, with an elaborately panelled and enriched ceiling and a fine mantelpiece.