Gunby Hall

Gunby Hall is a small country house, formerly the seat of the Massingberd and Langton families and now owned by the National Trust. The main structure dates to 1700, with alterations around 1730, and further extensions in 1873 and 1900, including a Dining Room, Servants' Hall, and Service Wing.

The house is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, with ashlar dressings, a flat lead roof, and six brick wall stacks with moulded tops. It is three storeys high with a basement, featuring a moulded plinth, three moulded stone bands, and a panelled brick parapet with a moulded stone top. The facade has seven bays arranged in a 2:3:2 design, with the central bays recessed, and is complemented by four-bay sides with rusticated quoins. The central entrance comprises six-panelled double doors, leading up a flight of nine stone steps. These are set within a moulded and eared stone surround, featuring a scrolled pediment supported by carved brackets. An inscribed datestone "Wm 1700" appears below the cornice, and a helmed coat of arms is positioned within the pediment. Flanking the entrance are three glazing bar sashes, some original from around 1700, presented in plain moulded architraves with small keyblocks. Similar windows are present on the first and second floors. A slightly recessed and lower two-storey extension, with a hipped slate roof, was added in 1873 and 1900, built in a matching style, although with deeper ground-floor windows. The south side includes a Venetian window at first-floor level dating to around 1730, along with five original blank openings, two upper windows, and two circular apertures in the parapet. Two lead rainwater heads are dated 1700 and bear the initials “WEM”. The rear elevation features seven bays of sash windows with simple surrounds on each level. The service basement contains two light leaded casements with timber mullions.

Inside, the staircase, dating to around 1700, appears to have been slightly repositioned when the Venetian window was inserted. It features three barley sugar twist balusters per tread, an open string, panelled risers, a moulded handrail, and a bolection moulded dado panel. The stair hall showcases a fully dentillated egg and dart cornice and an early 18th-century panelled ceiling. The Entrance Hall is characterised by full-height raised and fielded panelling dating to 1700. The Dining Room has a bolection moulded surround to its panels, and other panelling and door surrounds date from the early 19th century. The Music Room features full-height panelling from around 1900. The house is associated with Tennyson and Cecil Sharpe. The last resident owner was Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery Massingberd.