Culford Hall

Culford Hall is a mansion that now serves as a co-educational public school. The original hall was built by Sir Nathaniel Bacon in the late 16th century and was later rebuilt for the first Marquess Cornwallis around 1800, with the design attributed to James Wyatt. The building was significantly enlarged by William Young for Earl Cadogan around 1890 in an Italian style. The core of the present structure is the 7-bay, 2 and a half storey brick house from the Marquess Cornwallis period, but it is entirely covered externally by the Cadogan extensions, which are made of white brick with stone ornaments and details.

The building has an irregular form with three storeys. The main front features a stone balustrade adorned with urns. There is an asymmetrical tower topped with a square copper-roofed cupola. The façade includes a range of small-paned sash windows set in deep reveals with eared architraves. A large single-storey flat-roofed porch has a long portico extension supported by fluted Ionic columns. At the west end, there is a large wing displaying the Cadogan arms and the date 1894, while the east side features a 2-storey range from about the same period.

Inside, the principal rooms in the Cadogan extensions are elaborately decorated in an ornate Italian Baroque style, showcasing carved woodwork and gilded plaster ceilings. A fine stone open newel staircase with cast iron balustrades, dating from the same period, is located in the older part of the house. The interiors from the Cornwallis era are designed in a more restrained Greek Revival style. The rear hall is paved with limestone squares, and the entrance hall floor features limestone squares with black dots. The grounds surrounding the hall were designed by Humphry Repton.