Walton Hall And Attached Stable Range And Garden Wall

Walton Hall and Attached Stable Range and Garden Wall

A small country house with attached stable ranges and garden wall, built in the early 18th century with alterations made in the early 19th and 20th centuries. The house was built for the Taylor family and later became the seat of the Disbrowe family.

The main house is constructed of red brick with painted gauged brick and stone dressings, set on an ashlar basement. It has a slightly sloping bitumen roof with panelled brick ridge stacks concealed behind flush parapets with moulded stone copings. The building is three storeys tall with an additional basement to the north-west corner, arranged in seven bays by five bays. Each corner features a clasping giant brick pilaster with moulded stone base and cornice; all elevations except the front façade have plain brick bands marking each floor.

The main front elevation has a moulded ground floor sill band and two giant pilasters, similar to the corner pilasters, flanking the three central bays. A moulded stone cornice with panelled parapets crowns the façade. Most window openings have flat gauged brick arches with corniced stone double keystones; those on the first and second floors have consoled sills. The basement to the north contains two 2-light casement windows in segment-headed surrounds with corniced double keystones.

The ground floor is dominated by a central pilastered doorcase with triglyphed frieze and moulded segmental pediment, fitted with double glazed doors of 20th-century date. To either side are three full-height glazing bar sashes; those flanking the doorcase and to the north retain early 19th-century pelmets, whilst those to the south are painted on. Above are seven similar sashes, the central one set in a moulded raised surround with bracketed cornice and those to the far south painted on. The top storey has seven smaller sashes, the central one positioned within a moulded shouldered stone surround with eared pieces at the base of the jambs and a plain stone apron below.

The south elevation features five glazing bar sashes to the ground floor beneath flat gauged brick arches, three of which have been extended downwards. Above these are five similar sashes, all with early 19th-century pelmets. The floor above has five segment-headed openings, three blind and two containing glazing bar sashes. Original fluted 18th-century lead hopper heads are visible to either side.

The rear elevation has seven segment-headed openings to each floor, most containing glazing bar sashes except the central ground floor opening, which has double glazed doors. Original 18th-century lead hopper heads are also present here.

The attached stable ranges to the north are also of red brick with a first floor band and hipped plain tile roofs topped with two tall brick ridge stacks to the north range, with stepped eaves bands. These ranges are two storeys high, arranged in an L-plan with each range seven bays wide. Both ranges have seven segment-headed openings to each floor.

The north wing's ground floor contains an inserted 3-light casement window in the northernmost opening, a 20th-century glazed door with divided overlight, and a passageway running through the building to the south. Beyond this, one opening has been blocked with a panelled door inserted beneath a concrete lintel, and beyond again are four timber cross windows. Above are three 2-light timber mullion windows to the north, one retaining 18th-century leaded lights, and a similar opening with plank door to the south. Further south is another opening with a 2-light window and a glazing bar sash.

The west wing has mostly blind openings to the ground floor with later windows inserted. Above are two blind openings to the west and five openings with 2-light timber mullion windows, three of which retain 18th-century leaded lights. The interior of the west part retains original stable fittings.

The garden wall, attached to the south-east corner of the house, stands approximately 10 feet high, constructed of red brick with flat stone copings.

The interior contains good contemporary features from the 18th century. The principal staircase is an open well type with three knopped balusters to each tread—one fluted, one twisted and one barley sugar—and a ramped moulded handrail with carved cheekpieces. It has dado panelling on the opposite wall and a fine plaster cornice to the landing ceiling. A secondary back staircase has turned balusters and solid newels with a wide moulded handrail and closed string with pulvinated frieze.

Several rooms on the ground and first floors are panelled, each with matching panelled doors, dado rails and timber cornices. The kitchen retains its original fireplace with a fluted pilastered overmantle. Two southern rooms on the ground floor were refitted in the early 19th century.