Papworth Hall

Papworth Hall is a large country house built between 1809 and 1813 by architect George Byfield for Charles Madryll Cheere, who died in 1825. The building was altered between 1860 and 1896 by E.T. Hooley. It is constructed of stuccoed brick with moulded stone and limestone dressings, featuring low pitched hipped slated roofs, two symmetrical stacks, and additional rear stacks.

The west main entrance facade has five bays, with a plinth and a shallow parapet topped by a deep cornice. A pedimented portico supported by four giant unfluted Ionic columns leads to double three-panelled doors with patterned cast iron glazing bars and a projecting lantern. This entrance is flanked by two recessed twelve-paned hung sash windows, with three similar windows on the first floor. The ground floor windows in the outer bays consist of three hung sash lights set within blind segmental arches, while the first floor has two twelve-paned hung sash windows with moulded stone architraves.

The south elevation features seven bays, with the three central bays being pedimented and slightly projecting. It includes a semi-circular Roman Doric porch with cast iron railings leading to a balcony accessible from a first floor window. The east elevation has a recessed Ionic portico.

Inside, the large entrance hall is floored with grey marble and features Ionic pilasters and columns made of red scagliola. The east ante room has columns of Corinthian order made of yellow scagliola. A stone staircase with a cast iron balustrade is decorated with leaf patterns.

Charles Madryll Cheere adopted the family name after inheriting the estate through marriage to John Cheere's daughter. E.T. Hooley, a financier, reportedly spent £150,000 on improvements to the estate before going bankrupt in 1909. In 1924, the Hall was converted into a tuberculosis hospital when Sir Pendrill Darrier-Jones established an experimental recovery colony there.