Burton Constable Hall

Burton Constable Hall is a country house built in the late 16th century for John Constable or Sir Henry Constable, with numerous later additions and alterations. Significant changes include the addition of a top storey and portal in 1759–60. The interior underwent major alterations in 1736 for Cuthbert Constable, around 1757–1775 for William Constable by Thomas and Timothy Lightoller, Thomas Atkinson and James Wyatt, and around 1840 for Sir Thomas Constable.

Construction and Materials

The house is built of reddish-brown brick laid in Flemish bond with purple brick diaper patterning and ashlar dressings. The roofs are of Welsh slate and lead. The building is approximately H-shaped on plan with ranges around a garden courtyard to the south. The architectural style is Elizabethan with Jacobean Revival and Neoclassical alterations to the interior.

Main East Range

The main east range has three storeys and nine bays. The first and ninth bays are full-height canted bays that rise above the roofline to form turrets. The central bay breaks forward with a raised "pediment". At either end are square embattled towers, the one on the left having a taller octagonal stair turret. From these towers project wings of two storeys with attics — seven bays to the left and six to the right. The second and sixth bays of the left range and the second and fifth bays of the right wing are canted to full height.

The building has a plinth with moulded ashlar copings and ashlar quoins. The central entrance is a 20th-century glazed screen containing a door with two fielded panels and nine panes to the head with a 12-pane overlight, all set within a doorcase of paired Tuscan columns on plinths with a triglyph frieze and dentil cornice.

The ground and first floors have three-light ovolo-moulded mullion windows with two levels of transoms in chamfered surrounds to the second, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth bays. The window to the first-floor fifth bay has splayed shoulders to the jambs under a segmental pediment on consoles. Similar four-light windows appear in the third and seventh bays, whilst the first and ninth bays have similar eight-light windows wrapping around the canted bays. There is an inserted casement window in an ashlar surround to the left of the first bay on the first floor.

Moulded first- and second-floor ashlar bands run horizontally across the facade. The third floor has mainly two-light, ovolo-moulded mullion windows in chamfered surrounds to each bay, with the central window in an eared architrave. The turrets to the canted bays have single-light windows to the sides and two-light mullion windows to the front, all under cavetto-moulded hoods with label stops. Ashlar aprons sit below the front windows.

A moulded ashlar cornice is surmounted by vases, with a "pediment" to the centre bearing a coat of arms. The turrets to the canted bays have a dentil cornice and ogeed domed roofs. The end embattled towers have four-light mullion-and-transom windows to the third storey, a rubbed brick second-floor band and a third-floor cornice of modillions and cogging. The octagonal stair turret to the left is embattled.

The wings have a plinth with rubbed brick copings. The projecting bays all have six-fielded-panel doors in ovolo-moulded surrounds; the door to the fifth bay of the right wing has a two-light mullion window above. Windows are mainly four-light ovolo-moulded mullion and transom, except in the fourth bay of the left wing where there is a three-light window, and in the projecting bays which have mainly single-light casements in double-chamfered surrounds. The fifth bay of the right wing has a two-light mullion-and-transom window.

A moulded ashlar first-floor band appears on the right wing, otherwise rubbed brick first- and second-floor bands run across the facade. The upper stage of the projecting bays rises above a low parapet and has single lights except in the second bay of the right wing which has a clock. Ashlar copings finish the parapet. There are concealed roof dormers. The gable ends have two-storey oriel windows rising from the first floor on ashlar corbels with five-light mullion-and-transom windows to each floor. Ashlar copings finish the gables. Rear and side stacks serve the building.

West (Garden) Facade

The west garden facade has a main range of five bays and two storeys, with a three-storey centre bay and slightly projecting three-storey, two-bay ranges to the sides. There are ashlar quoins and a plinth. The centre bay is canted to two storeys. A flight of four steps leads to the central entrance, which has multi-paned double French doors with an eight-paned overlight within a tooled, eared architrave with pulvinated frieze and hood. To the sides of the bay are three-light ovolo-moulded mullion windows with two levels of transoms. Otherwise the ground floor and first floor have similar four-light windows to the main facade.

The centre bay first floor has a similarly moulded mullion window with two levels of transoms, with the centre of six lights and sides and returns each of three lights. The second floor centre bay has a two-light mullion window below a "pediment".

The side ranges have canted bays rising through two storeys. The ground floor has six-light, ovolo-moulded windows with two levels of transoms. A moulded first-floor band runs horizontally. The first floor has similar windows to the ground floor. The second floor has two-light mullion windows. A moulded cornice to the parapet is surmounted by three vases topped by pineapple finials; those to the right range at centre conceal stacks.

North Facade

The north facade has an off-centre entrance with a 20th-century glazed door in a moulded ashlar architrave with pulvinated frieze and pediment. Windows are mainly 12-pane sashes, with some painted sashes, and otherwise 16-pane, 18-pane, 24-pane, unequally hung nine-pane sashes and 12-pane Yorkshire sashes, some in moulded ashlar architraves with pulvinated friezes and pediments. The chapel has a four-light straight-headed window with Perpendicular-type tracery to the head.

South Return

The south return presents an irregular facade to the garden courtyard. The facade has two, three and four storeys in irregular bays. Ashlar quoins appear to some parts. There are off-centre and end entrances, two six-pane sashes, and otherwise unequally-hung 15-pane and 24-pane sashes, casement windows and two-, three-, and four-light mullion windows.

To the left a canted bay rises to two storeys and has two rows of four-light, ovolo-moulded mullion-and-transom windows to the ground floor with a moulded cornice. The first floor has an eight-light ovolo-moulded mullion window with two levels of transoms. Surmounting this end are similar vases on plinths to those on the west facade. The off-centre bay has a modillion and cogged cornice with battlements and an octagonal embattled turret.

The garden courtyard has a central round-arched entrance in a pedimented surround, flanked by low walls extending approximately eight metres, leading to a pedestrian entrance with six-panel doors within walls approximately four metres long by four metres high. At the ends are two-storey, two-bay embattled pavilions. The pavilions have 12-pane sashes with ashlar sills under flat arches of red brick. First- and second-floor ashlar bands run horizontally.

The sides of the courtyard are occupied by garden workshops with mainly six-panel doors and 12-pane sashes. At the north end of the west range is a rebuilt curvilinear gable.

Interior

The interior includes a suite of elaborate 18th-century rooms. The Jacobethan long gallery of around 1736 has bolection-moulded panelling, a frieze with beasts and grapes, a ceiling with pendant bosses in decorative circles, a scagliola fireplace by the Bartoli brothers and 15th-century Netherlandish stained glass.

The staircase hall of around 1760 by Timothy Lightoller has a cantilevered staircase with column-on-plinth balusters, a wreathed handrail, panelled treads and original candle fittings.

The Rococo great hall of around 1763 by Timothy and Thomas Lightoller has an elaborate plaster ceiling, walls with paired tapering pilasters between arcaded coving and a flat ceiling with a motif of a square with four lobes, a Neoclassical stone fireplace with heraldic overmantel between niches for statues.

The sumptuous Neoclassical dining room of around 1765 by the Lightollers has a ceiling by Cortese, a marble relief by William Collins, plaster reliefs by Henry Cheere and a marble fireplace.

The drawing room by James Wyatt of around 1775 has a Neoclassical frieze and ceiling and an ornate marble fireplace by John Bacon.

The Blue Drawing Room of around 1783 by Thomas Atkinson has an umbrella dome and a two-columnar Roman Doric screen.

The Chinese Room has Chinese wallpaper supplied by Chippendale in 1783 and was refurbished around 1830–40 with carved dragons.

The billiard room was designed by Thomas Atkinson in 1774 with an Ionic colonnade and apse. It was converted to a chapel in 1844 with stained glass partly by Peckitt.

Further rooms have linenfold and parchemin panelling.