Haddon Hall

Haddon Hall is a large double courtyard fortified manor house and seat of the Dukes of Rutland, built by the Vernon family. It contains fragments of 12th century work but is mainly of two periods: the upper courtyard was built chiefly in the second quarter of the 14th century and the lower courtyard mostly in the 15th century, with major refashionings and alterations in the 16th and 17th centuries. A major restoration took place between 1920 and 1930, supervised by Leonard Stanhope, the Clerk of Works.

The building is constructed of limestone and gritstone rubble with ashlar gritstone dressings and quoins. The roofs are leaded and mostly hidden by embattled parapets with ridgeback copings; roofs and parapets are mostly 20th century. Numerous stone ridge and side wall stacks, mostly 20th century with some crenellated tops, are present along with a massive late 15th century external stack to the west side of the Great Hall and possibly 14th century corbelled out stone stacks to the north walls. The building rises to two storeys generally, with a four storey north-west gatehouse tower, three storey eastern Peveril Tower, and three storey north-east lodgings to the upper courtyard.

The double courtyard plan sits on a sloping site, with the upper courtyard to the north-east and the lower courtyard to the south-west. The upper courtyard features Peveril's Tower (the original entrance), the state bedroom in the east range, the Long Gallery to the south, and the present Duke's apartments to the north. The lower courtyard contains the continuation of the private apartments and the north-west entrance tower to the north, offices and lodgings to the west, and the Chapel and Earl's Bedroom to the south. Between the two courtyards stand the Great Hall and its service rooms.

The north elevation features a late 15th century entrance tower to the west with a 14th century kitchen range to the east and beyond the Duke's apartments, which are mostly 17th century but much restored. The entrance tower has steps up to a moulded shallow pointed arch with hoodmould and double studded oak doors. To the west is a slit window, and beyond stands an ornate ashlar stepped buttress with relief carving to its upper part. Above the door is a blank plaque with hoodmould and a three-light cavetto moulded mullion window with pointed lights and incised spandrels, set in an ovolo moulded recess with hoodmould. Above this is a similar blank plaque decorated with upturned acorns and a similar three-light window. Above again is a similar blank plaque and window, with a large coat of arms immediately above breaking through the moulded stringcourse with gargoyles on to the parapets. Beyond the 14th century stacks to the east is a 17th century wing with a range of recessed and chamfered mullion windows. Attached to the west corner of the tower is an embattled ashlar wall with a four-centred arched doorcase with hoodmould, under a large coat of arms of the 'Kings of the Peak', which has to either side a carved frieze of Vernon family shields. The west side of the tower has a polygonal staircase turret corbelled out at first floor level to the south corner.

The garden front to the south is of limestone and gritstone rubble with gritstone quoins and continuous moulded sill bands to first floor windows and continuous moulded eaves stringcourse. An early 17th century four-bay section to the east features an advanced square two-storey bay flanked by canted two-storey bay windows with another window to the east. Attached to the west is a five-bay 16th century section, much refashioned in the 17th century, with the Chapel beyond to the west. The eastern section has a range of recessed and ovolo moulded double transomed windows to the Long Gallery at first floor level with recessed and chamfered windows below. The lower section attached to the west has a two storey canted bay window with a large carved crest on parapets beyond. To the west again are three first floor oriel windows, each with recessed and ovolo moulded mullion and transomed windows, the central oriel having double angled sides. At the extreme west stands the Chapel, set at a different angle, with a Perpendicular five-light east window, two flat-headed Perpendicular chancel windows, 13th century lancets in the south aisle, and 15th century cusped clerestorey windows. Opposite the Chapel in the lower courtyard stands a 15th century octagonal bell turret with cusped Y-tracery arches to all sides at the top. Attached to the east end of the Chapel are the remains of 14th century timber walling, now mainly enveloped in the late 16th century rebuilding of the Earl's Bedroom, which has mullion and transomed canted bay windows at first floor level. The Great Hall to the east range of the lower courtyard has 14th century two-light low transomed windows with central quatrefoil over cusped lights to either side of a late 15th century external stack. To the north is a 15th century three-storey porch and to the south a projecting parlour wing.

Interior

The Chapel has two-bay arcades of double-chamfered pointed arches, that to the north on a 15th century capital and polygonal column, that to the south on a mutilated late 12th century scalloped capital and column. Fine grisaille wall paintings decorate the nave, and there are early 17th century oak pews and furnishings inscribed 'GM 1624'. The east, north, and south windows contain 15th century stained glass, with the east window inscribed 'Ornate pro animabus Riccardi Vernon et Benedicte uxoris eius qui fecerunt anno dni 1472'. Below the east window is a 14th century Nottingham alabaster reredos, introduced in the 20th century. A 12th century plain circular font with 17th century cover of double curved scrolls meeting at a central knob stands in the nave. An 1894 marble tomb to Robert Manners, featuring a figure of a dead boy to the top and coats of arms and heads of family to the sides, is positioned to the south side of the nave. Opposite is a 15th century stoop on an octagonal stem with crenellated top.

The Great Hall has a 15th century timber screens passage with cusped panelling and gallery over, plus an arched braced roof dated 1923. A 16th century panelled lobby to the south leads through to the parlour, and 16th century panelling covers the walls. A large cavetto moulded fireplace stands to the west, and four four-centred arched doorcases to the north of the screens passage open to the staircase up to the gallery (eastern one) or to the kitchen, pantry, and buttery (the other three), all with original oak studded doors.

The 14th century kitchen has two massive segmental fireplaces and impressive 17th century oak kitchen furniture. The roof is a 16th century chamfered cross beam roof supported near the centre by a braced wooden pier. A bakehouse beyond to the east contains bread ovens and dough troughs, with a slaughter house beyond again to the east.

The parlour to the south of the Great Hall retains its original circa 1500 painted ceiling and panelling throughout, dated 1545, with a carved frieze next to the ceiling. Above is the Earl's Bedroom, refashioned in the 17th century when plasterwork frieze and ceiling and panelling were inserted. Beyond this room to the west is another apartment with remains of 14th century timber walling still visible.

The Long Gallery and State Bedroom to the east are both 17th century. The Long Gallery features classically inspired panelling, large windows, and a plasterwork ceiling. The State Bedroom beyond has a fireplace with an elaborate plaster overmantle similar to those at Hardwick.