Hill Court

Hill Court is a country house built between 1698 and 1700, heightened and extended in the mid-18th century. It is constructed in brick laid in Flemish bond with sandstone dressings and a hipped slate roof.

The main front is symmetrical, comprising a central block of three storeys and seven bays with single-bay wings linked by recessed sections. The design features chamfered quoins. The three central bays break forward with quoined angles and carry a pediment decorated with the shield of arms and crest of the Clarke family, cornucopias, and other carved ornament. The parapet of the main block displays balustrading above each bay.

Windows throughout have architraves and glazing bar sashes. The central first-floor window is distinguished by a cornice and fluted frieze. Below it, the door has an architrave with guilloche ornament and a cornice on brackets. The recessed links feature first-floor windows with round heads and similar ground-floor doorways set forward. The right-hand link's first-floor wall has been extended forwards. The wings are pedimented and contain Venetian windows on the ground floor.

The garden front facing west follows a similar treatment but substitutes a balustrade for the central pediment. The doorway, dating from around 1700, has a bolection moulded surround, carved frieze, and swan-necked pediment with central crest. A first-floor window on the north wall of the main block retains the original fenestration type, with timber mullion and transom.

The entrance hall floor displays sandstone and polished slate in an oval pattern. The walls are lined with oak bolection moulded panelling, and the fireplace surround matches this detail. The hall opens into a stair hall containing an open-well stair with open string, three barley-sugar balusters to each tread, ramped handrail, and carved tread brackets. The balusters and rails are walnut. The lowest newel is a Corinthian column; the others comprise four grouped balusters. The half-landings feature geometric parquetry. The plaster ceiling is by Richard Symonds and includes a central wreath of fruit and flowers.

The two front ground-floor rooms have painted panelling, the dining room's being a mid-20th-century addition executed in keeping with the original style. The rear room on the north side of the main block is lined with panelling fitted in 1708, featuring walnut veneer, oak frames, and cedar panels. Above the fireplace is a mirror panel with a hinged fire screen to the left. The north wing's internal fittings date from around 1830 and include decorated cornices; the Venetian windows are divided internally by Corinthian columns. A fireplace from around 1760 in the east room was relocated from Goodrich Court in the mid-20th century. The central front bedroom of the main block is lined with painted rockwork panelling of 1704, displaying Chinoiserie scenes on the rails and stiles and ruin pieces over the chimneypiece and door.

The Clarke family previously occupied Old Hill Court before building Hill Court. They were acquainted with John Kyrle, the "Man of Ross", to whom the design of Hill Court was traditionally attributed. Accounts for the building and fitting out of the house survive.