Keswick Hall

Keswick Hall is a house built in 1817 with additions of around 1839, designed by William Wilkins for Richard Hudson Gurney. The building is constructed of gault brick with stone and rendered dressings, with a slate roof.

The main structure is of double depth, with a range to the south of 7 bays and 3 storeys, and an attached 2-storeyed single range to the north with a single-storeyed addition. A forward addition dating to 1839 projects from the left of the south facade, featuring a large central semi-circular bay. (Extensive additions to left and right dating to 1951 for a Teacher Training College are not listed.)

The principal facade to the south overlooks the garden and comprises 7 bays across 3 storeys with a hipped slate roof and a pediment to the 3 central bays. The ground floor was originally a loggia, now infilled, with 8 Roman Doric piers supporting an entablature decorated with triglyphs, guttae and mutules. Mid-19th century glazing to the loggia includes horizontal glazing bars; the centre 3 bays have French windows, while the bays to left and right retain gault brick with similar French windows. The opening of bay 1 was subsequently reduced and given a rendered surround. The first and second floors are brought forward over the loggia, with sashes featuring glazing bars, stone surrounds and pulvinated friezes. The Gurney arms appear in stone on the pediment.

The forward addition to the left dates to around 1839 and comprises 5 bays. Bays 1 and 5 are of 3 storeys with vase baluster parapets and sashes with glazing bars and rendered surrounds. The central 3 bays feature a semi-circular front of 2 storeys that rises above the flanking 3-storeyed bays and reaches the eaves level of the main facade, with a stone parapet. The ground floor has a stone plinth, 2 pairs of rendered pilasters, and a broad stone band above. The ground and first floors display 3 large curved sashes with glazing bars and rendered surrounds featuring scroll consoles to entablatures, with a stone string at first floor level. To the rear of the 5th bay stands a water tower in gault brick with a vase balustrade and a semi-circular headed opening with glazing bars.

An attached 2-storeyed service wing to the left is built of colourwashed brick with a slate roof. It contains some sashes with glazing bars and stone surrounds, while other openings were altered around 1951. The right return comprises 3 bays of 2 storeys with a lower additional 2-storeyed range to the right projecting slightly forward. The first bay of the ground floor returns the loggia from the south facade with 2 stone piers rendered and scored with a semi-circular headed sash. The second bay is rendered and scored with 2 rendered pilasters, an entablature with 3 stone wreaths, and a niche below containing a cast of a caryatid. The third bay has pairs of rendered pilasters flanking French windows matching those on the south facade. The range to the right has a 1951 wing attached to the ground floor; the first floor displays a stone shield of Gurney impaling Barclay, with a parapet of vase balusters.

The entrance facade to the north comprises 3 bays of 2 storeys with a single-storeyed range to the front incorporating an entrance portico. A flag turret rises at the centre, bearing the Gurney arms and a vase balustrade. The portico range has rendered pilasters matching those on the south facade. The central bay contains pairs of pilasters flanking an internal porch with a semi-circular headed doorway topped by a fanlight and double leaved oak doors. Pilasters extend to bays 1 and 3, with an entablature featuring a frieze of triglyphs and guttae to the centre bay; 3 wreaths appear above as on the right return. Large casement windows occupy bays 1 and 3.

Interior features include an open well staircase, partially lost, with the upper flight and landing retaining carved wood balusters and a mahogany rail beneath a ceiling rose. The hall inside the north doorway is graced by 2 fluted Corinthian columns in wood. Ground floor rooms to the south are decorated with plaster friezes and cornices, and feature gilded carved pelmets. A plaster geometric ceiling adorns the central ground floor room to the east. First floor rooms to the south have bays pushed out over the former loggia. The south-east room contains a classical fireplace carved with festoons and egg and dart cornice. A dogleg staircase to the second floor features a ramped handrail, turned balusters, and a circular light over the stairwell. The semi-circular fronted wing to the west displays a decorated plaster frieze and central rose on each floor; the ground floor is articulated with square yellow scagliola pilasters.