Ingatestone Hall

Ingatestone Hall

Country house. Built in two main phases: 1539 and 1556 by William Petre. The building underwent 18th-century alterations and a significant restoration between 1935 and 1937, when windows and interior features were reinstated. The house is constructed of red Tudor brick laid in English bond with some burnt headers. It features stepped gables, peg-tiled roofs with prominent chimneys (many extensively restored), and octagonal and rectangular chimney shafts. Substantial areas of walling have been rebuilt as a consequence of later alterations and reconstruction.

Plan and Original Layout

The house comprises three ranges arranged around a courtyard on the north, south and east sides. Originally a fourth west range contained the Great Hall, but this was demolished between 1790 and 1819. At the same time, two outer courts — a middle court and a base court that led westward to the gatehouse — were also removed.

Courtyard Elevations

The west elevation of the east range (facing the courtyard) is two storeys with a brick plinth. It has four windows, all with hollow-chamfer-moulded transoms and mullions, some restored, and 20th-century metal casements with leaded panes. On the ground floor, the two inner windows are 4 by 2 lights, and the two outer windows are 3 by 2 lights. There are three doorways: a large central one with a rebuilt arched head, impost capitals, and a 20th-century double-leaf oak door, plus two outer doors between windows (the northern door having a rebuilt head). Adjacent to the south door is a blocked segment-headed window. The first floor has three 5 by 2 light windows and one 3 by 2 light window (rebuilt) at the south end. The central pair contain some stained glass.

The north elevation of the south range is similar. At the east end, a projecting octagonal stair tower rises above the roof eaves with a brick cornice, later upper crenellated parapet, and four staggered 2 by 2 light windows (partly rebuilt). On the ground floor are four windows (considerably rebuilt): one 5 by 2, two 4 by 2, and one 3 by 2 (to east). Towards the west end is a recessed doorway with a timber wall bearer in front, metal grid and gauze infill. Near the east end is a blocked original doorway; adjacent to and below the east window is an 18th-century mounting block with two steps. The first floor has four partly rebuilt windows above those below: the two outer ones are 5 by 2 lights, the two inner ones 4 by 2. The west end has a small octagonal chimney stack at the stepped gable apex. An 18th-century addition at the west end, built in Tudor style and set back to the south, is crenellated with a 2 by 1 light ground-floor window.

The south elevation of the north range is similar to the south and east ranges, though the walling is considerably rebuilt with straight joints and differing brick evident. The range is somewhat irregular. The ground floor has three 4 by 2 light windows and a blocked segment-headed 18th-century window at the east end, plus a central doorway. The first floor has two 5 by 2 light windows, one 4 by 2, and one 2 by 2. Towards the west end is a blocked rectangular opening with timber lintel and sill. The chimney stack at the east end has an original base but a rebuilt rectangular shaft with corbelled top. At the west end is an 18th-century addition in Tudor style that breaks forward, with a mid-height 3 by 3 light window containing some stained glass. Further west is an 18th-century crenellated block set back to the north (similar to the one added to the south range), with 5 by 2 light windows on both ground and first floors. Both 18th-century blocks have stepped gables to the west.

Exterior Elevations

The exterior east elevation of the east range is similar to its west elevation, with a central 20th-century stepped gabled block on the site of a former 18th-century chapel. To the south is a projecting shouldered chimney stack with a rebuilt upper square shaft, and a further two-storey stepped gabled projection with a small stack at the apex and a 2 by 2 light upper window. Between this projection are two 4 by 2 light windows on the ground floor, and one 5 by 2 light window plus one early 18th-century sash window (3 by 4 panes) replacing an earlier window on the first floor. At the south end are a 2 by 1 light window on the ground floor and a 2 by 2 light window on the first floor. At the north end of the range is an 18th-century stair tower in chequered burnt header brickwork with a central pilaster buttress and later crenellated parapet. Between the tower and central projection are an irregular infill 19th-century chimney stack, a ground-floor doorway with an adjacent 20th-century 3 by 2 light window, and a buttress with an original 5 by 2 light window on each side on the first floor. At the north end, a short length of domestic courtyard wall with shaped coping bricks abuts the 18th-century tower.

The exterior south elevation of the south range is two storeys with attics and has an irregular facade. There is an original central ground-floor doorway with an adjacent massive triple-shafted external stack to the east. To the south, a stepped gabled projection (the end of the east range) has 3 by 2 light windows on ground and first floors. Between these units are a 4 by 2 light window on the ground floor and a 3 by 2 light window on the first floor. Above is a gabled dormer window with four casements, each 3 by 4 panes; a similar dormer window sits above the central doorway, below which is a 2 by 2 light window on the first floor. The east end of the range shows the side of the stepped gabled end with a 2 by 1 light ground-floor window. West of the central doorway is a stepped gabled projection with a rebuilt octagonal stack and a single-light ground-floor window, a 20th-century Tudor-style doorway, and a 3 by 2 light window above. To the west is a twin facade gabled projection with crow-steps and small apex stacks. The ground and first floors have two 5 by 2 light windows, and each gable contains a 3 by 1 light attic window. At the west end, an 18th-century crenellated addition is set back, with a ground-floor room containing a 3 by 1 light window; behind this is a two-storey section with a first-floor 2 by 2 light window.

The north exterior elevation of the north range has a central two-storey 18th-century wing with a hipped roof projecting deeply to the north. On the east side of this unit, the ground floor has a doorway with a 20th-century door and four simple casement windows, plus a pantiled shed at the north end running eastward. The first floor has two sash windows with weatherboarded surrounds (3 by 4 and 4 by 4 panes) running south to north, and three similar sash windows with segment heads (4 by 4 panes). The west side of the 18th-century north wing has a Tudor-style 2 by 2 light window on ground and first floors. At the north end, the ground floor has a segment-headed doorway with a boarded door and a segment-headed window with a 20th-century double casement (4 by 4 panes). East of the 18th-century wing is a small domestic courtyard wall with shaped brick coping containing three segment-headed low openings with bars on simple metal casement windows. The interior of the courtyard is irregular, with a projecting gabled shed and an original range behind to the south with a central rectangular stack at the roof apex. To the west is a 4 by 4 pane sash window; to the east is a stepped facade gable with a 3 by 2 light window on the first floor. The 18th-century corner tower at the east end has a 2 by 2 light window. West of the projecting 18th-century unit is a 16th-century block, restored and enlarged, similar to the additions to the south range. It has twin facade stepped gables running east to west, with a ground-floor doorway (now with a glass door), a small 2 by 1 light window to the east, and a 4 by 2 light window to the west. The first floor has two similar 4 by 2 windows. To the west is an 18th-century three-canted bay window through two storeys, embattled with a stepped gable and finial behind. The bay windows are 2 by 2, 3 by 2, and 2 by 2 lights on both floors. The west end is blank and embattled with a slim external stack. A twin-shafted stack sits in the internal angle with the bay window.

At the west ends of the north and south ranges, the north range has a plain embattled end wall (the 18th-century addition) with a restored stepped gable end of the principal range behind, offset to the south. Both ground and first-floor windows are 5 by 2 lights. The west end of the south range is two storeys with an attic, a stepped gabled end with an octagonal finial. The ground-floor windows are one 4 by 2 lights and one 2 by 2; the first floor has one 5 by 2 light window, and the attic window in the gable is 4 by 2 lights. To the south is the projecting embattled end wall of the 18th-century addition, with a plain ground-floor embattled wall of a further addition set back to the south.

Interior

The interior underwent considerable alteration in the 18th century and again during the 1935–1937 restoration, when panelling, mullioned and transomed windows, doorways and ceiling joists were reinstated. Some panelling is genuine and in its original location, some is genuine but moved, and some is clearly 20th-century work. This drastic work has made the plan of the house markedly different from that recorded in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments volume. The room names used here are derived from a plan prepared for Lord Petre prior to opening the house to the public.

In the south range, the drawing room retains the form of a small late medieval hall with a lateral fireplace and paired cross-entry doorways at the west end. At the high east end is a projecting octagonal stair with an original newel post leading to the principal chamber above. (The Royal Commission noted mortices in ceiling joists for a low-end screen, though this evidence has now been removed.) The panelling dates from around 1600, as do the mid-16th-century door frames. The fireplace, also around 1600, has been cut down and reassembled. It is the most noteworthy feature in the house, with strapwork and grotesque decoration, possibly derived from the demolished Great Hall. Adjacent to the south is a second projecting stair tower with a reconstructed stair in the style of around 1600, occupying the tower and the 20th-century south addition. A walled-off 'priest hole' is concealed in the tower void, accessible from the stair.

In the east range's south end, the old study contains another similar priest hole behind the stack adjacent to the stone hall. The old study has early 17th-century panelling comprising a rectangle within a rectangle and L-shaped corners, plus strapwork-decorated pilasters. The central stone hall also has panelling from around 1600 but probably re-set. The fireplace, around 1600, has a flattened arched head and high-set chamfer stops on the jambs.

On the ground floor of the north range, much has been altered, with only stone fireplaces from the late 16th century remaining from Tudor times. On the first floor of the south range, Lord Petre's bedroom — a great chamber over the hall below — has panelling from around 1600 in situ, with roll-moulded ceiling joists crossed to create decorative panels.

On the first floor of the east range is the long gallery, described in 1566 as a "fair and stately gallery or walk meet for any man of honor to come into". The ceiling was originally elliptical in section but is now flat. Early oak floorboards show frequent changes in orientation, suggesting the room was subdivided at some time and has now been reinstated to its original plan. Stained glass in the windows includes some glass apparently derived from the 18th-century chapel that once projected to the east. To the south, the Queen Anne room retains an early 18th-century sash window with thick glazing bars; the exterior of the outer frame has 19th-century bead decoration. The room has early 18th-century pine panelling and a fireplace with a contemporary black marble bolection-moulded surround. The roof above the adjacent dressing room is original — oak of clasped side-purlin type with curved wind braces, representing high-quality construction.

On the first floor of the north range's west end, the garden chamber has panelling from around 1600 and a 16th-century stone fireplace with a four-centred arched head and high-set stops to the moulded chamfers on the jambs. Lightly scratched graffiti in 16th-century script is visible. The late 16th-century panelling includes a frieze containing shields with Petre arms and roundels of Renaissance-style medallion heads. The entire wall containing the frieze is known to have been moved to create a passageway behind.

Historical Note

The original plan of the house and surrounding garden wall can be seen on a detailed map of 1605 by John Walker, father and son, where the house is named 'Inge Petre Hall'. The Petre family, who have always practised the old faith, have lived here ever since, and the house is now the home of the eighteenth Lord Petre.