Risley Hall And Attached Garden Wall

Risley Hall and Attached Garden Wall

A small country house, now a hotel, that originated in the 17th century with substantial mid-18th-century development. The building underwent late 18th-century and early 19th-century alterations, and received a notable addition around 1900, possibly designed by Bodley. The structure combines red brick and coursed squared sandstone with stone dressings throughout.

The 17th-century wing is constructed in stone and features a deep chamfered plinth, a continuous dripmould to the ground floor, and a steeply pitched red clay tile roof with a brick gable stack to the east. The north-east 18th-century wing is of brick with a chamfered stone plinth, plain first and second floor brick bands, a sawtooth eaves band, and a hipped red clay tile roof crowned with three large brick ridge stacks. At the rear of this wing stands a large ashlar addition from around 1900 in neo-Tudor style, featuring a red tile roof, stone-coped gables, and stone side wall stacks.

The 18th-century wing measures six bays across two storeys plus attics, while the 17th-century wing comprises six bays but only two storeys. The garden front of the 18th-century wing displays a stone Doric porch with a fluted and roundelled frieze supported on columns and pilasters, leading to a semi-circular headed doorcase with double glazed panelled doors and a traceried fanlight. To the north stands a large stone early 19th-century canted bay window with glazing bar sashes to three sides, set beneath rusticated wedge lintels with double keystones. Further north is another glazing bar sash below a similar lintel. South of the doorcase is a large late 18th-century tripartite glazing bar sash in a rusticated surround with matching lintel treatment. Beyond this stands another stone canted bay window, probably early 20th-century, with glazing bar sashes similarly detailed, followed by a further glazing bar sash. The first floor holds six comparable glazing bar sashes, with four hipped gabled dormers containing casements set in the roof above. The gable wall of the 17th-century wing to the far south has been rebuilt in brick and contains a 20th-century window under a segmental head to the ground floor, a glazing bar sash beneath a plain stone lintel on the first floor, and a 20th-century casement in the attic gable.

The rear elevation of the 18th-century wing features an advanced bay with a semi-circular bay window to the south and, attached to the north, a four-centred arched doorcase topped with a coat of arms and embattled parapets. The windows throughout this elevation have recessed and chamfered mullions and transoms with leaded lights.

The 17th-century wing to the south-west displays a four-light 17th-century window with recessed and chamfered mullions and a central major mullion to the west, matched by a similar window above. To the east is a full-height four-light window with recessed and chamfered mullions and doubled transoms from the early 20th century, with another comparable window further east. Between these two windows is a blocked early 19th-century segmental arch, now containing 20th-century doors, flanked to the west by a 17th-century two-light window and to the east by a similar four-light window. Above this section is a central octagonal clock face dated 1834, flanked by one blocked and one open four-light 17th-century window with recessed and chamfered mullions and central major mullions. Further east stands a blocked 17th-century quoined doorcase with two 20th-century three-light windows beyond, one of which cuts into another 17th-century doorcase. The first floor above contains five four-light windows with recessed and chamfered mullions, the westernmost being early 20th-century while the others are 17th-century. Large rear additions to this wing and to the west are of no architectural interest. A 17th-century stone garden wall is attached to the south of this wing, featuring moulded copings and a blocked 17th-century doorcase with a returned hoodmould over.

The interior of the 18th-century wing retains an original 18th-century staircase with column on vase balusters, a ramped and wreathed handrail, and scrolled cheek-pieces. Most fireplaces date to the early 19th or early 20th centuries, except for one 18th-century shouldered fire surround in a bedroom. The rear addition contains high-quality oak panelling and fittings. The 17th-century wing preserves its original queen-strut roof trusses.