Reston Hall

Reston Hall is a house built for Robert Bateman in 1743, as indicated by his initials and the date on the lead rainwater heads, which feature cherubs on the gable ends. The exterior is finished in roughcast render and limewash, topped with a graduated greenslate roof that has a modillioned eaves cornice and three corniced chimneys along the ridge. The building has two storeys plus attics that are lit from the gable. There are seven windows, with 19th-century cross casements on the ground floor and original 18th-century sashes with glazing bars above. The central entrance features a 15-panelled door set within a moulded architrave, topped by an early 20th-century glazed hood supported by brackets with carved faces.

Inside, the hall retains original panelled doors and window shutters throughout. The entrance hall includes an 18th-century fireplace flanked by panelled cupboards and an archway with a keystone and fluted pilasters. The staircase has a cut string with three turned balusters on each tread, and the bottom three steps are curved to create a splay. The east room features an original fireplace and panelling, including a shell head niche with shaped shelves, flanked by fluted Ionic pilasters. The kitchen contains an original fitted dresser with a central niche that has an arched head and shaped shelves, also flanked by pilasters that conceal small cupboards. There is a panelled bedroom on the first floor.

Robert Bateman, originally a poor boy from the parish, was supported by the congregation to travel to London, where he found work with a wealthy merchant and eventually became a partner in the firm. He traded from Leghorn and accumulated considerable wealth, intending to return to England in 1743 at the age of 64 to retire in his home parish. He arranged for the construction of Reston Hall and Ings Parish Church that same year. Tragically, he is said to have been poisoned by the captain of his ship on the journey home, who then returned to Italy with the ship and cargo. A portrait of Bateman hangs in Reston Hall.