High Hatton Hall

High Hatton Hall is a small country house dated 1762, probably designed by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (1723–1777), with mid- and late 19th-century ashlar additions. The building is constructed of red brick with tooled grey sandstone ashlar plinth, and has a pyramidal slate roof. It is arranged on a square plan, rising three storeys over basement.

The exterior features a chamfered plinth and moulded stone cornice with blocking course. A central brick stack, rebuilt above roof in the late 20th century, rises from the spine, with a probably 19th-century external lateral stack to the north. The east (entrance) front is composed of 1:1:1 bays with a central break. It is furnished with glazing bar sashes having gauged brick heads and painted stone cills. Two-light stone-mullioned basement windows are present, some replaced in the 19th century with two-light wooden casements. A flight of five stone steps with the remains of a wrought-iron balustrade leads to the central six-panelled door, which is framed by a doorcase consisting of a lugged architrave, pulvinated frieze, and large console brackets supporting a moulded cornice that breaks forward over the brackets.

The south front displays 1:3:1 bays and features a central full-height semi-octagonal bay with flanking trompe-l'oeil blind windows on either side. Lead downpipes set in the angles of the bay are fitted with quarter-round rainwater heads decorated with an elephant and castle motif on each. The rear (garden) front is arranged as 2:2 bays, with a left-hand ground-floor window and a low panelled door below; stone steps ascend from this elevation with plain railings. A datestone in the north wall is obscured by later additions but bears the initials R P C. A pair of 19th-century two-storey gabled service wings extends to the north.

The interior retains a complete set of 18th-century fittings, graded in enrichment from ground floor to second floor. The entrance hall is appointed with a plain dado with moulded rail and moulded cornice. The staircase rises to the second floor in three flights around a rectangular well on each floor. It features an open string with pierced cut brackets, three balusters per tread (two twisted flanking a single turned baluster), a ramped moulded handrail, curtail and Tuscan newel posts, and ramped dado panelling with panelled dies.

The drawing room is finished with a plain dado and rail, moulded cornice, and a fireplace with lugged architrave, frieze with carved foliage, and moulded cornice. Two doorcases in this room each have a lugged architrave, pulvinated frieze, dentil cornice and triangular pediment. A three-bay screen is ornamented with unfluted Composite columns and pilasters, each supporting a dosseret with pulvinated bay leaf frieze and modillion cornice with alternating paterae. An adjoining small room features a plain dado and fireplace with lugged architrave, pulvinated frieze and moulded cornice.

The dining room is finished with a plain dado and enriched moulded plaster cornice. Its fireplace displays a carved lugged architrave, pulvinated oak leaf frieze, carved cornice, and a lugged panel above with Greek key decoration to the lower edge. The first-floor landing has a moulded dentil cornice and two doorcases, each with architrave, frieze with curved ends, and moulded cornice.

The central back bedroom features a fireplace with carved lugged architrave, frieze with carved foliage, and cornice with egg and dart enrichment. The left-hand back bedroom has a cornice with Greek key ornament and a fireplace with lugged architrave, frieze with carved foliage and central panel, and cornice with bead and reel and Greek key ornament. A small dressing room off this bedroom is furnished with a plain cornice.

On the second floor, the landing displays a moulded cornice and doors with plain architraves. One bedroom has a fireplace with lugged architrave, pulvinated frieze, moulded cornice, and cast-iron grate. The other bedroom is fitted with a fireplace having plain panelled pilasters, frieze with central panel, and dentil cornice. Six-panelled doors and panelled internal window shutters appear throughout the house. Barrel-vaulted cellars are present beneath.

The elephant and castle motif on the rainwater heads and the initials on the datestone suggest that the house was built for a member of the Corbet family. Designs exist for a chimneypiece by T. F. Pritchard at High Hatton.