Underhill Hall

SJ 40 SW SMETHCOTE C.P. -

1/82 Underhill Hall -

GV II*

Farmhouse, now house. Circa 1700, incorporating mid-C17 core. Painted sandstone rubble with painted red brick front; slate roof. 3 storeys. Plat band between ground and first floors and dentil brick eaves cornice; large brick ridge stack off-centre to right, rendered brick stack just off-centre to left and external brick end stack to left. 3:1:3 bays; small-paned 2-light wooden casements (blind on first floor in second and sixth bays). Central half-glazed door (2 lower raised and fielded panels) with moulded architrave; C18 two-storey gabled brick porch with plat bands, dentil brick eaves cornice (returning to front) and round- arched entrance with panelled piers, moulded imposts, and moulded architrave with keystone; benches inside porch. C19 two-storey kitchen wing at rear with integral brick end stack. Interior: complete mid-C17 and early C18 fittings. Hall: C17 panelling; early C18 fireplace with beaded segmental arch, moulded cornice, and 3 bolection-moulded panels above with moulded cornice. Ground-floor room just off-centre to left: early C18 fireplace with raised and fielded panelling and moulded cornice; fireplace with beaded stone surround, moulded wooden cornice, and large panel above; pair of flanking round-arched cupboards with raised and fielded panelled doors, panelled spandrels and shaped shelves. Ground- floor left-hand room: C17 panels (with taper burns) and doors with fluted frieze, moulded cornice, and bolection-moulded panel above doors; fireplace has stone surround with raised and fielded panelled sides and lintel with fluted and shaped key, and overmantel with raised and fielded panelled pilasters (cornice breaking forward above) flanking bolection-moulded panel; plastered spine beam. First-floor bedrooms: left and right-hand rooms have early C18 fireplaces, each with bolection-moulded surround, moulded cornice, and 3 bolection-moulded panels above with moulded cornice; late C18 and early C19 grates. Middle bedroom with C18 fireplace. Mid- C17 staircase rising to attic: 3 flights around square well with closed string, pierced splat balusters, moulded handrail, and square newel posts with rounded caps (top newel post with large finial and lower newel posts with incised fleur-de-lys decoration). Some painted C17 panelling. Plain C17 winder back staircase. C18 doors throughout with 6 raised and fielded panels. Panelled window reveals and seats in some rooms. Roof: eaves raised in C18 with king-post trusses. In 1722 the house passed to the Powys family of Berwick who seem to have used it as a hunting lodge. By 1755 Henry Powys had laid out a small park around the house and had stocked two nearby pools with fish. The house forms part of a small farmstead group including a barn (q.v.) to north. V.C.H., Vol. VIII, p.151.

Listing NGR: SJ4303600883