Hackthorn Hall

Hackthorn Hall is a country house dating from 1792, originally designed in a neo-classical style by James Lewis. Minor alterations and additions were made around 1840. The house is constructed of ashlar with a hipped slate roof. It is two storeys tall with attics, and features a moulded plinth, a moulded sill band to the first floor, a cornice, and a balustraded parapet on all facades.

The three-bay entrance front has a slightly projecting central bay, flanked by tall, blank, semi-circular headed arches on the ground floor. A tall, projecting semi-circular ashlar porch, infilled in the 19th century, stands at the centre, with two steps and half engaged Ionic columns supporting a plain frieze and dentillated cornice. The central half-glazed double doors have a plain fanlight, flanked by single curved lights. The 19th-century windows have semi-circular heads, moulded architraves with imposts and raised keystones; the spandrels at the heads are decorated with swags of fruit and flowers. Beneath the windows are plain rectangular aprons. Single glazing bar sashes are placed to either side of the porch, and on the first floor, three similar, smaller windows, all with moulded stone architraves. The west and south sides both consist of five bays with tall glazing bar sashes to the ground floor and shorter similar windows to the first floor. All windows have moulded stone architraves and carved wooden shades. The south side features alternating plain architraves and triangular pediments over the windows. An attached, lower two-storey service wing, dating from around 1840, is located to the east, with irregular fenestration, deep eaves, and a hipped slate roof.

Inside, the oval stair hall has a geometrical stone staircase with decorative cast iron balusters. At first-floor level is a frieze with flutes and medallions of putti with dolphins. The oval light above is surrounded by harebell garlands. The oval-ended library, formerly the dining room, has a plain ceiling with a frieze of scrolls, urns, and delicate moulding. The library fittings were installed around 1800. The drawing room features a similar frieze with an Adam-style fan in the centre of the ceiling and lozenges at the ends with paterae and anthemion. The white marble fireplace has side panels decorated with urns. The outer hall has a marble fireplace with a quiver of arrows and a lyre set in a laurel wreath. The first-floor bedrooms and dressing rooms all retain contemporary fireplaces and original pelmets.

The house was built for John Cracroft and is depicted in a drawing by Claude Nattes from 1795, held in the Banks Collection.