Denston Hall

Denston Hall is a fine early 18th-century house with a significant rear range dating back to the 16th century, representing the remains of an earlier house built on the site. The Hall has a complex history, including periods of forfeiture and reversion to the Crown due to debt in the 16th and 17th centuries, before passing to the Robinson family.

The front of the Hall, constructed in the early 18th century, is of red and blue brick, featuring a parapet and raised brick band. The facade is two storeys with attics, and has a 2:5:2 window arrangement on the east front, a 3-window range on the inner wing faces, and a 4-window range facing south. The double-hung sash windows are fitted with glazing bars and are set within flush cased frames. A central Ionic porch projects from the front, incorporating fluted columns and a cornice. The slate roof is mansard style, with three pedimented dormers, the central dormer being distinguished by a segmental pediment.

The interior features a notable circular hall, likely dating to around 1770, with rooms positioned to the left and right. The room to the left opens onto the staircase via a screen of two columns. The ceilings display Adam-style ornamentation and the staircase has early 18th-century twisted balusters.

At the rear of the main house is a long range of 16th-century red brick buildings, remnants of the original house. These buildings feature brick mullioned windows with Tudor arches and brick hood moulds, along with Tudor arched doorways and boarded doors with fillets. A particularly fine room at the south end has a moulded beam and joist ceiling with an embattled frieze and carved spandrels to the arched braced tie beams. Some linenfold panels with heads carved in roundels are also present, suggesting this room may have served as a chapel. The rear range has a tiled roof with a chimney stack displaying two diagonally set shafts.