Aston Hall

Aston Hall is a major early Jacobean house built between 1618 and 1635 for Sir Thomas Holte. It is situated within Aston Park and is set on a grand scale, with a main block facing east and the forecourt enclosed by projecting flanking wings, each with a square turret that slightly breaks from the inner face. Shaped gables are present to the front of the wings and across the symmetrical elevation of the main block, which is surmounted by an axial tower rising in three stages from the balustraded parapet to a two-tier cupola.

The elevations are predominantly red brick with darker brick diaper, with stone facings and quoins reserved for the corners. The windows are well proportioned mullion and transom windows, with two-storey canted oriel windows crested by strapwork at the ends of the wings. The central stone doorway, leading directly into the centre of the hall, features Doric columns, an entablature, cartouches framed by strapwork, and ball finials, bearing the inscription "1618".

Surviving plans in John Thorpe’s drawings reveal differences between the original intention and the final execution, particularly concerning the hall's plan, a provision for a polygonal end to the chapel on the south front, and three bays on the west—the foundations of which remain. Alterations may have occurred following damage in the Civil War.

Narrow wings abut the outer faces of the main forecourt wings; these were originally one storey high at their east and west ends but were heightened in the late 17th century. An arcaded loggia flanks the chapel projection in the centre of the south front. The west range has a two-storey main elevation with a flat roof to the Long Gallery on the first floor, with the main block of the hall rising on the third storey behind, featuring six shaped gables and a chimney stack with six grouped octagonal shafts. Archways to loggias at the south and north ends were originally one storey but heightened in the late 17th century. A further archway was added to the north end in the 18th century. A north service/kitchen range features alterations to the fenestration in the late 17th and 18th centuries, with early 19th-century service additions.

The interior is very fine, exhibiting a wealth of decoration in contrast to the almost classical restraint of the exterior. It includes extensive panelling, architectural framework to doorways, monumental stone and alabaster chimney pieces, and a richly carved strapwork balustrade staircase within a square well. A long gallery, 136 feet long and well-preserved, is also present, along with a considerable amount of original decorative plasterwork to friezes and ceilings. However, deceptive imitation Jacobean plasterwork was added between 1818 and 1848 for John Watt, the younger, who was leasee of the Hall.