The Walton Canonry

The Walton Canonry is a Grade I listed building constructed in 1720. It is a three-storey structure made of deep rose-colored brick, featuring stone bands at the ground and first floor levels. The building has a moulded stone cornice, a tall parapet with stone coping, and plain stone corner pilasters that extend to the top of the parapet, where the cornice is broken. The roof is covered with old tiles and has flanking chimneys.

The main ground floor is approximately 6 feet above ground level and is accessed by a wide flight of twelve stone steps with plain wrought iron guard rails on both the east and west fronts. There are seven windows on the first floor and six on the ground floor, all with rubbed brick arches and keystones. The central entrance features a tall six-panel door surrounded by a stone architrave, a small key block, a stone frieze, and a cornice on carved console brackets, topped with a segmental broken pediment and a central cartouche adorned with supporting swags. The lower ground floor has six casements with 19th-century lights.

The building has symmetrical flanking wings that are two storeys high, constructed of similar brick and topped with old tile roofs that are hipped at the ends. The west front is generally similar but includes some older stonework in the walls. The central door on this front is glazed and has a coved hood with shell ornamentation on the soffit, supported by small brackets. The main ground floor windows are fitted with Venetian shutters.

Inside, the building features a good open string staircase and panelling. An earlier house on this site was occupied in 1697 by Isaac Walton, the son of the author of "The Complete Angler." All the listed buildings in The Close form an outstanding group.