Quendon Hall

Quendon Hall is a Grade I listed building, a brick house dating from the 16th to 17th century, set within a nearly 100-acre park. The original structure was timber-framed and built in a half H plan, reportedly by Thomas Newman around the middle of the 16th century. Between 1670 and 1680, Thomas Turner refaced the building using red and blue bricks, filled in the space between the wings, and made other alterations.

Modern additions have been made to the north side. A fire in the mid-20th century destroyed the upper storey and much of the interior, but the house has since been restored, although it no longer has the attic storey of dormers that it once featured on the south front. The current house has two storeys and attics, with a nine-window range of double-hung sashes, some of which are original, set in arched brick heads with keystones. The outer wings, each with one window range, project slightly on the south front and feature stucco bands at the window head level on both the ground and first storeys.

The central part of the house is divided into six bays by stuccoed pilasters that stand on a plinth and support a moulded cornice. The main doorway is located in the third bay and has a flat moulded hood with carved brackets and pilasters with carved capitals. The roof is tiled and features a carved modillion wood eaves cornice, hipped over the end wings of the south front.

Inside, there are several original features, particularly in the hall, which includes Doric columns, a fireplace, and a cornice, along with extensive panelling. Originally, the house was surrounded by a moat, but only the east arm remains today. On the north side, there is an avenue of trees that creates a vista aligned with the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Newport, located about 1.5 miles to the north.