Menagerie House, 1-3 Park Drive, Wentworth Castle, Stainborough

Menagerie House, 1-3 Park Drive, Wentworth Castle, Stainborough

This banqueting house, now divided into three cottages, dates to around 1717 and was possibly designed by James Gibbs. It was constructed by the Bower family, estate masons, for Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. A mid-18th-century rear wing extension was added for William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford. The building underwent significant 19th and 20th-century alterations to accommodate its conversion into three separate dwellings.

The structure is built of sandstone ashlar with painted and stuccoed brickwork, and is roofed with 20th-century concrete tiles.

The original rectangular eastern range is single-storey with partial upper floors inserted at each end, a small central cellar, and a small 19th-century single-storey extension at the south end. On the west side stands a mid-18th-century two-storey wing flanked by single-storey lean-to extensions. A small modern single-storey extension abuts the northwest side of the wing, with a modern lean-to porch added against the south side.

The main eastern façade, facing across Menagerie Wood, is constructed of ashlar sandstone blocks with a plinth and moulded eaves cornice. It comprises seven bays in symmetrical design. The outer bays (one and seven) contain former doorways, now converted to windows, each with swept-shouldered architraves, pulvinated friezes, and consoled triangular pediments. Both retain original ashlar blocks forming the sides of short flight of steps, though the stone steps are presently missing. The apertures hold timber fixed-frame glazing over casements. A sill band links the window architraves of the other bays, all featuring pulvinated friezes and consoles except the central bay, which has a balustraded apron and a swept-shouldered architrave, pulvinated frieze, and consoled triangular pediment matching those of the former doorways. The hipped roof retains one original ridge stack to the left with ashlar plinth, brick shaft, and stone cornice, with a renewed brick ridge stack to the right of centre.

The narrow side elevations are built of brick with stone quoins wrapping from the eastern front. Stone plinths and sill band wrap round to the first apertures on both sides—now windows with timber casements. The moulded stone eaves cornice extends across both elevations. The north elevation has two high doorways with gauged brick lintels. The left-hand doorway has been bricked up at the bottom to form a window with timber casements. The right-hand doorway retains a six-fielded-panel door, with a rectangular overlight above and an inserted first-floor timber casement window. The south elevation features a central inserted dormer window rising through the stone cornice, with timber casement and flat roof. On the right is a high doorway with gauged brick lintel, bricked up at the bottom to form a window with timber casements. The left side is obscured by a small single-storey brick extension rendered on the east side, projecting southwards with double-pitched concrete-tiled roof, a timber casement window in the east elevation, and a converted timber casement window in the west elevation with an inserted window to its right.

The rear western side of the original building has an inserted brick eaves stack on the left. The elevation is almost entirely obscured by the mid-18th-century two-storey wing and flanking single-storey lean-tos. The stuccoed main western elevation of the wing has a stone plinth and comprises three bays with a triangular pediment containing an oculus. The ground floor features a shallow round-headed niche containing a window with projecting stone sill; the right-hand bay has a similar window, while the left-hand bay is obscured by a small modern flat-roofed extension. The first floor has three smaller windows with projecting stone sills. All windows are timber casements with small-pane glazing to the oculus. The double-pitched roof has concrete tiles and a brick ridge stack.

Flanking each side is a shallower lean-to of painted brick with stone plinth and impost band, concrete-tiled roof, and a shallow round-headed niche containing a wide doorway with plain stone frame (that to the left-hand lean-to now blocked). The niche head is filled by a Diocletian window. The right-hand doorway retains a six-panelled door with the central two panels now glazed. A modern timber lean-to porch occupies the return between the lean-to and the south elevation of the wing.

Interior

The original eastern range contains three rooms, with the north room now subdivided by an inserted cross-wall. The rooms feature moulded cornices, visible on the inserted first floor of the north room. The south room has a six-fielded-panel door, windows with fielded-panel reveals, soffits and moulded architraves, and a corner fireplace missing its chimney-piece. The central room has a coved ceiling above the moulded cornice and a fielded-panel dado. The north and south cross-walls have wide doorways on their south sides; the north doorway features a six-fielded-panel door and wide moulded architrave, while the south doorway is blocked but retains a similar moulded architrave. To the right of the south doorway is a fireplace framed by giant fluted pilasters rising to the cornice, with a marble chimney-piece (presently painted black) and moulded timber architrave, topped by a 20th-century tiled fireplace. Above is a moulded timber frame for a mirror, no longer present. The north room has a fireplace in the west wall, missing its chimney-piece, with a boxed-in staircase to the inserted first floor on its south side. The first-floor rooms have four-panelled doors. The northeast first-floor room contains a small cast-iron chimney-piece. The cellar is reached by a flight of stone steps now within the south lean-to extension. It is barrel-vaulted, built of rubble-stone, with a window opening on the east side fitted with a hinged timber shutter, and a stone table-top on brick stands.

The interior of the south lean-to extension is subdivided by an arcade of two round-headed arches with a central square pillar. On the east side is a timber staircase rising to the attic storey, with moulded timber handrail, square newel posts, and stick balusters. In the southeast corner, a flight of three steps descends to the doorway into the south room of the original eastern range. Adjacent is a doorway opening into the single-storey south extension. On the west side of the arcade is the doorway to the cellar steps, fitted with a plank door featuring ventilation slits. The north lean-to extension contains no fixtures or fittings of interest. The central wing has a staircase in the northeast corner.