Ecton House

Ecton House is a rectory, dating from around 1693, originally commissioned for John Palmer, with a plaque indicating work completed in 1778. It is now used as a conference centre and rectory. The building is constructed of lias ashlar with a slate roof laid in diminishing courses. It has a double-depth plan and a seven-window entrance front arranged in a 1:5:1 configuration. The main entrance is a nine-panelled door situated one bay to the right of centre, with a fanlight featuring intersecting glazing bars above. The sash windows have glazing bars, with some containing crown glass and narrow wooden pilasters creating architraves. Curved stone lintels with keyblocks and foliage decoration adorn the central first-floor window. A three-bay trellis verandah sits centrally on a raised stone terrace. The building features rusticated quoins and flat string courses between the floors. A lead date plaque is positioned to the left of the entrance. The cornice is curved, and there are three flat-topped roof dormers. A hipped roof is topped with stone stacks at the corners. Later 18th-century single-storey extensions, each with a two-window range, extend to the left and right of the main front, featuring sash windows under flat stone arches and a plain panelled parapet above. A rear range of late 17th-century buildings attached to the left side has ashlar gable parapets. Rear and side elevations include leaded cross windows and circular staircase windows. The interior features a hall with an open fireplace framed by a moulded wood surround topped with a broken pediment containing a bust of John Palmer by Rysbrack, similar to a bust in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Ecton. A late 17th-century staircase has a half-landing and turned balusters. Fielded-panelled dado work decorates the hall and staircase, with applied panelling on the staircase walls. Original features include six-panelled doors and panelled window reveals. Armorial glass depicting the Palmer family is incorporated into the staircase windows.