Fermyn Woods Hall, And Attached Stables And Ancillary Buildings

Fermyn Woods Hall, and Attached Stables and Ancillary Buildings

Country house dating from the early to mid-17th century, substantially altered and extended during the 18th century and early to mid-19th century for the Ladies Fitzpatrick and Lord Lyveden. A 19th-century west wing was demolished in the mid-20th century. The building is constructed of squared coursed limestone and limestone ashlar with Welsh and Collyweston slate roofing, supplemented by 20th-century plain tiles. The house follows a double-depth plan with an attached stable courtyard, rising to two storeys with an attic storey.

The entrance front comprises five bays, each with gables. The bay to the left of centre projects forward as a two-storey porch, while the bay to the right has a small gable. The flanking bays feature larger gables. Windows throughout are predominantly three- and four-light stone mullion windows, with transoms at ground-floor level. Some attic windows may date from the 17th century, while others are clearly 19th-century insertions. The porch doorway is a 20th-century addition with an ashlar surround. Ashlar gable parapets, kneelers and finials decorate the roofline, with ashlar stacks positioned at the ridge and ends. A sundial is mounted above the first-floor porch window.

A two-storey, two-window range projects at right angles from the far right of the entrance front, connecting to the stables. This range has stone mullion windows at ground floor and a single eaves dormer to the first floor. The attic range of the rear wing is visible above this section. To the left of the entrance front, a two-window range features reset stone mullion windows. The former west wing was attached to this elevation. The rear elevation displays three gables, with the left gable being taller and projecting forward. It contains three- and four-light stone mullion windows matching those of the entrance front. A service wing attached to the right was removed in the mid-20th century.

The stables attached to the right of the entrance front are single-storey with an attic. A 17th-century gate arch, originally built for Sir Lewis Tresham, stands to the right of the entrance front. This arch was reset in the mid-19th century from Lyveden Old Buildings in Aldwincle. It features a semi-circular arch flanked by niches, with three shields mounted above each niche. A moulded stone cornice and entablature is surmounted by an armorial device with elaborate supporting scrolls. A 19th-century openwork balustrade connects the arch to a four-window range to the left and a gable end to the right.

The stable courtyard comprises ranges on all sides. The range forming the south side has casement windows under stone lintels with keyblocks, three roof dormers, an ashlar gable parapet to the right and a hipped roof to the left. The range at right angles to the left connects with the entrance front and forms the west side of the courtyard. It has six bays with a central doorway topped by a gable. Two three-light stone mullion windows appear to the left, and three similar two-light windows with transoms to the right. The rear elevation facing the courtyard has a central projecting gable and probably represents the remains of the 17th-century stables. Two three-light stone mullion windows stand to the right. A 19th-century range to the right of the gate arch forms the east side of the courtyard in five bays, featuring a central carriage arch with gable and gabled eaves dormers containing two-light stone mullion windows. A coach-house door is located on the rear courtyard elevation. A two-storey 19th-century range to the north of the courtyard, formerly used as a laundry, has a central lateral stack facing the courtyard and stone mullion windows to the rear.

The interior contains an entrance hall with a mid-19th-century staircase with elaborately carved newels, all reset from the west wing. The floor is laid with mid-19th-century tiles bearing the armorial devices of the Lyveden family. The Sitting Room and Drawing Room, positioned to the left of the entrance, contain 18th-century-style fireplaces.

The house was probably originally a hunting lodge within Rockingham Forest. It was owned by Sir John Robinson in the early 18th century and subsequently passed to the Earls of Upper Ossory, who added a late 18th-century west wing. This wing was remodelled in the 19th century but was later demolished. Ownership then transferred to the Ladies Fitzpatrick and Lord Lyveden, who undertook considerable 19th-century alterations to the property.