Banqueting House Approximately 100 Metres To West Of The Canal

Banqueting house, built between 1728 and 1732. It was designed for John Aislabie, and constructed by Thomas Buck, mason, under the direction of Robert Doe, likely based on a design by Colen Campbell. The building is constructed of ashlar with a Westmorland slate roof. It is a single-storey structure with two bays. A central entrance features a glazed double door with a fanlight, flanked by round-arched sash windows with glazing bars. Each opening has rusticated voussoirs and a keystone featuring masks of bearded faces; balustrades are set within blind recesses beneath the windows. Six pilasters with alternating bands of rusticated detail support a cornice and balustraded parapet with ball finials. The roof is hipped, with a corniced stack to the rear centre. The rear of the building was partially rebuilt using cement blocks prior to 1966. The left and right returns feature banded rustication to apsidal projections with domed lead roofs reaching the eaves height of the main cornice.

The main room within contains an elaborate Doric fire surround with attached columns, topped by a portrait of the Sultan of Surat, which was removed for restoration. The fireplace and masks, carved by Richard Fisher of York, depict baskets of flowers and cascades of fruit and foliage. Edward Shepherd may have been responsible for the high-relief plasterwork above the doors to the two smaller inner rooms, which depicts putti with a female bust within a circular design. The domed roofs of the apses at each end bear very fine plaster decorations representing a ribbed framework overlaid with fabric, decorated with flowers, scrolls, foliage, and ribbons; oval plaques containing flowers alternate with profiles of Roman Emperors. The upper edge is folded back and secured by large stylised flowers. A later frieze, possibly by Guisseppe Corteze (similar to the portico of the Temple of Piety), runs at impost level of the apse and to the ceiling. The ceiling is coved, divided into three sections, with panels containing a large central rose and corner panels with scrolls and masks. The style and motifs are similar to those found at the Cascade, Quebec Monument, and Rustic Bridge. Original records referred to the building as the ‘Greenhouse’, indicating it was originally an orangery. Restoration work was in progress at the time of resurvey. The building is a scheduled Ancient Monument and is recognised for its group value.