Brough Hall

Brough Hall is a country house, now converted into 10 residences. It dates from the 15th century, with substantial alterations and extensions made around 1575, in the early 17th century, around 1730, around 1770, and in the mid-19th century. The house was originally built for the de Burgh family and passed by marriage to the Lawson family around 1575. Early 18th-century work is possibly attributable to William Wakefield, and late 15th-century work to Thomas Atkinson.

The building is constructed of rubble stone, partly roughcast, and sandstone ashlar, with Westmorland slate roofs. At its core is a central 3-storey, 3-bay 15th-century tower house containing a cross-passage and hall. This is flanked by 16th-century 2-storey, 1-bay side bays—the western one being a solar wing—and a rear stair tower. Projecting 18th-century 2-storey, 5-bay blocks extend to the east and west; the east block includes an early 18th-century rear chapel wing.

The main north elevation shows the earlier work refronted in the 18th century. The central 3 bays feature outer bays that are narrower, gabled, and slightly projecting. The central bay contains leaved 6-panel doors in an architrave, surmounted by a 20th-century Doric portico and, above, an Ionic Venetian window set in a round-arched recess with voussoirs aligned to the courses. Other windows in the central block are round-arched sashes with glazing bars in architraves. A 6-panel part-glazed door below the upper window on the ground floor left (providing access to the cross-passage) and a half-size door on the second floor are present. Modillions support the cornice, and gable pediments rise above. A parapet with moulded coping crowns the elevation. The flanking bays contain sash windows with glazing bars in architraves, moulded cornices, and plain parapets. The side blocks match the flanking bays elevationally, with the first and fourth bays of the left block being blind, and have 2-bay inner returns. Corniced stacks rise from the right end of the central range; other stacks are 20th-century brick.

The south (rear) elevation of the central range displays 15th-century rubble with quoins and blocked 16th-century mullion and transom windows, with early 18th-century refenestration. The right bay projects slightly and features a 16th-century studded board cross-passage door in a quoined chamfered surround with a triangular head. To its right, an external garderobe projects in a buttress-like form with one vent and a stone roof. To its left are blocked single-light window openings formerly serving upper-floor garderobes, with a chute at the bottom now blocked. The central bay and first and second floors of the right bay contain sash windows with glazing bars in architraves with tripartite keystones.

The staircase tower on the left has a ground-floor blocked single-light window; a pedimented Tuscan Venetian window on the first floor set on a balustraded dado, above which rises the head of a 2-light mullion window; and a Diocletian window on the second floor, above the head of a 2-light mullion window. The right return of the staircase tower features a ground-floor blocked quoined chamfered doorway with a triangular head and quoined surrounds to 2-light mullion windows on the ground, first, and second floors, the last being open.

The solar wing on the left has, on its left face, a part-glazed door in an architrave with panelled pilasters, cornice capitals, and a keyed round arch; above it on the first floor is a sash window with glazing bars in a keyed architrave. To the right is a circa 1900 2-storey canted bay window with mullions and transoms. The left return of the solar wing has an external stack corbelled out on the first floor. The adjacent west block features a large central segmental bay with a part-glazed door in a console-corniced architrave and a Tuscan Venetian window above, flanked by oculi in ashlar surrounds on both floors.

The interior preserves exceptional decorative and structural features. On the ground floor of the central block, the hall contains 16th-century panelling with a fluted frieze and modillion cornice, altered in the 18th century. A 16th-century ribbed ceiling with small pendants is decorated with armorial motifs on the plasterwork of the frieze and cross-beams, commemorating the marriage of Elizabeth de Burgh and Ralph Lawson around 1575. The first floor has two small rooms (now combined) over the cross-passage with 16th-century ribbed ceilings featuring small pendants and armorial motifs, as well as good early 18th-century woodwork in the great chamber. The second floor retains fragments of 16th-century panelling and frieze matching those in the hall.

The staircase tower contains an excellent circa 1730 oak staircase with turned balusters of gadroon-on-vase design. The first floor features a superb ceiling with a modillion cornice, corner rosettes, and a richly decorated oval panel. The second-floor room displays masons' marks on a 16th-century stone doorway and mullion window.

The solar wing contains good early 18th-century bolection panelling on the ground floor with two pedimented chimney-pieces. The east block ground floor has two late 18th-century tripartite stone fireplaces, a late 18th-century cantilevered stone staircase, and a turned baluster staircase. The chapel wing retains good early 18th-century woodwork and plasterwork, including a gallery balustrade and a chimney-piece brought from the great chamber.

The west block ground floor features an Adam-style fireplace moved to a new position, with the Lawson family coat of arms remaining over its original location. Adam-style decorated plasterwork adorns the ceiling. The staircase hall contains a central shell niche flanked by recesses and a semi-elliptical cantilevered stone staircase.

Brough Hall passed from the de Burghs to the Lawsons by marriage around 1575. The Lawson family were recusants and, in addition to their private chapel at Brough Hall, built the Church of St Paulinus in the hall's grounds.