Kelham Hall

Kelham Hall is a Gothic Revival country house built between 1859 and 1861 by Sir George Gilbert Scott for John Manners-Sutton. It incorporates an earlier service range built in the Renaissance Revival style by Anthony Salvin in 1844–46 for the same client. The building is constructed of brick and ashlar with ashlar dressings and has gabled, hipped, and pyramidal slate roofs.

The house is notable for its pioneering fireproof design employing an iron and concrete structure. Exterior features include moulded and chamfered plinths, sill and lintel bands, machicolated and moulded eaves, moulded balustrades with some crocketed finials, and coped gables. Eight chimney stacks—four on the side walls and four on the ridges—are grouped with decorative brick and ashlar caps. Decorative elements include polychrome brick bands, opening heads, and diaper work. Windows are predominantly lancets, mostly with shafts featuring foliate capitals and hood moulds, alongside mullioned and transomed casements, some also with shafts. Some openings have panelled and shouldered architraves. Glazing consists of plain sashes or plate glass casements. All facades are asymmetrical. The main building stands three storeys high plus attics, nine bays wide by three bays deep, arranged in an irregular L-plan with spinal corridors.

Main West Front

The main west front comprises a four-bay central block flanked to the left by a square tower with an extruded corner tower to its left. To the right is a gabled projecting wing with a gabled extruded corner to its left. The tower on the left has a triple lancet window. To its right, the central block features a square corner bay window to the left with a triple lancet; in the return angle sits a double lancet. Further right are three buttresses and three double lancets, followed by two larger double lancets, then two shouldered casements. The projecting wing has a two-storey canted bay window with four lancets. Above this, to the left, are a casement and a double lancet, with a casement and a lancet in the return angle. To the right are four mullioned casements and two transomed casements, followed by three casements. On the storey above, to the left, are a casement and a transomed double lancet; in the return angle is a transomed double lancet, and to the right are five gabled dormers with casements, then a double lancet. The uppermost level has, to the left, a casement.

South Front

The south front has a central projecting gabled bay and to the right, a projecting square tower of three stages. To the left are a corbelled stack and two double casements. The projecting bay to the right has a triple lancet. Further right, a central buttress is flanked by single paired lancets. Above, to the left, is a mullioned and transomed lancet, and to the right a triple lancet, followed by a canted oriel window with three double lancets. On the storey above, to the left, is a flat-roofed dormer and to the right a gable with a double casement, then a pair of transomed double lancets.

East Front

The east front has to the left a projecting tower and to the right a projecting three-bay wing. Further right stands a square five-stage clock tower. To the left are two double lancets. The central block has three buttresses and an off-centre external stack. To the left are two large leaded casements with traceried openings, and to the right a square-headed triple lancet with a central French window. The projecting wing to the right has a two-bay arcade with paired central piers, and to the right, a triple lancet. Above, to the left, are two double lancets; to the right, two double lancets, and further right, three double lancets in square-headed reveals. On the uppermost level, to the left, are two transomed double lancets, and to the right, six gabled dormers with double casements.

The clock tower has four projecting gabled crocketed dormers, each containing a blank clock space. Above this is a square bell turret with four cusped-head openings and a spire with a finial.

North Front and Service Range

To the north is a carriage court and main entrance. The carriage court has to the west a four-bay irregular arcade with glazed or blocked openings and a square domed leaded roof. The service range is constructed of brick with ashlar dressings and patterned and plain tile roofs. It features a chamfered plinth, some dentillated eaves, and moulded coped gables with kneelers. Standing two and three storeys, it is ten bays wide by seven bays deep, with a square courtyard to the east and projecting wings to the west. It has five ridge, three gable, and three side wall stacks, mostly grouped. Windows are mainly mullioned and transomed casements with leaded glazing or iron glazing bars.

The north front has to the left a 20th-century two-storey flat-roofed addition. To its right are two casements and further right a projecting carriage entry with flanking brick piers, ashlar quoins, and a stepped head. This is flanked to the left by a casement and to the right by two casements. Beyond, to the right, are two doorways, the left one blocked. Above, to the left, is a large casement and to the right four smaller casements.

The buttressed kitchen building to the west has four leaded casements. The office building further west has two cellar openings with segmental heads and three casements with a single light to their left. Above are four casements. The west gable has a single casement on each floor.

The east front has five 20th-century casements and to their right two 19th-century metal casements. Above are seven stone and timber mullioned casements. The south front has gable ends off-centre and to the right. To the left is a casement, and to its right a 20th-century mullioned and transomed casement. Above, to the left, is a projecting gabled cross-eaves dormer with a shouldered coped gable and mullioned casement. The off-centre gable has a corbelled external stack with cornices, two scrolled brackets, and two blank panels. The gable to the right has a stepped-head mullioned casement with a scrolled strapwork finial above. An intermediate stepped boundary wall has scrolled brackets at changes of level. Inside the courtyard are 19th- and 20th-century buildings with mullioned and transomed casements and some chamfered doorways.

Interior

The interior features principal rooms and corridors with rib vaults. Other rooms have brick and iron barrel vaults. The carriage court has a three-bay arcade on each side and vaulted aisles on the south, east, and west. It has paired columns with carved bases and naturalistic capitals and corbels. The roof has heavy diagonal timber ribs with nailhead decoration. To the south is a main doorway of three orders with shafts, a cove and roll moulded round head, and a blank panel in the tympanum. To its right is a square-headed moulded doorway to the business room, and to the left, three lancets.

The main stairwell to the north has a cantilevered stone staircase with landings and a corbelled string carrying twisted iron balusters. It features a ramped and scrolled brass and timber handrail. Landings to the east are carried on pierced girders with pierced spandrels. The roof is a vaulted panelled timber structure with moulded ribs and a foliate boss.

The Music Hall has to the west a six-bay arcade with three granite piers with naturalistic capitals and cable-moulded arches with hood moulds. Above is a triforium arcade with paired marble shafts, naturalistic capitals, and cusped arches. A naturalistic wrought iron balustrade with brass handrail runs along it. To the west is a vaulted aisle with square responds, and to the south a pair of elaborate traceried panelled doors. The triforium has two pairs of similar doors. The Music Hall has to the north and south large roll-moulded doorways, and to the east a central ashlar fireplace with paired flanking columns and foliate capitals, and a carved corbelled hood including a stencilled motto and blank shield. Elaborate painted, stencilled, and gilt decoration runs throughout. The adjoining drawing room has similar decoration.

The vault has a central iron column with flanking marble shafts and iron foliate decoration. The south and west walls have double cusped-headed fitted mirrors in moulded frames. The west side has an inlaid marble fireplace with flanking shafts and a cable-moulded and crocketed mantelshelf. Above is a shouldered mantel mirror with a floral and foliate surround and cresting.

The Cedar Room has panelling up to impost level and doorways with flanking octagonal piers and billeted cresting. It features a moulded ashlar and marble fireplace and an overmantel mirror with a cable-moulded frame. The dining room has to the north a blocked opening with foliate capitals and a band with fine naturalistic carving. An incomplete ashlar fireplace has foliate capitals and a frieze.

The library has Tudor arched and pointed arched vaults and to the west a two-bay arcade with a central granite pier. The bay window to the west has a panelled plaster ceiling. The chapel has a vault with moulded ribs, three window openings with shafts, and windows with patterned stained glass. The business room has fitted moulded bookcases and an ashlar fireplace with marble shafts.

The first-floor corridor has a cusped moulded opening at the north end and a staff-moulded vault. Doors have shouldered and staff-moulded architraves or segmental heads. They are panelled doors. The south-east tower has a cantilevered iron winder stair with landings, pierced strings, scrolled balusters, a ramped handrail, and stone treads. The second-floor corridor has a plain vault and roll-moulded square-headed doorways with cambered lintels. There are several chamfered and roll-moulded ashlar fireplaces.