Terracing And Lorimer Gate, Formal Garden, Hallyburton House, Hallyburton Estate

Hallyburton House is a large Tudor-Elizabethan manor house of exceptional architectural and interior interest, set within outstanding landscaped gardens. The house incorporates an early core from the 1680s, 18th-century work, and mid-19th-century additions, but was substantially remodelled and enlarged between 1880–84 by Andrew Heiton Junior, with further major remodelling in 1903 by Robert S Lorimer. Woodwork was carried out by Scott Morton & Company. The north-east wing was demolished in 1988.

The house is built of stugged and polished ashlar with a base course, dividing string courses, moulded and mutuled eaves courses, and crenellations. It is arranged on 2 storeys and 2 storeys with attic, all over a raised basement (partly vaulted), in a loosely rectangular plan. The dominant feature is a square-plan, 3-stage entrance tower, flanked by a taller 5-stage polygonal stair tower clasping the west angle and leading to the roof of the square tower. The west front displays a monumental traceried window flanked by projecting gables, while the garden front features Lorimeresque stone-pedimented bays with an oversailing stair to a traceried doorpiece. A crenellated 4-centred arch leads to a courtyard at the altered east end. Other external details include Tudor-arched doorpieces with flanking paired colonettes and quatrefoil detail to spandrels, 2-leaf 8-panelled timber doors, stone gabled dormerheads with decorative timber and piended details, crowsteps, corbels, relieving arches, stone transoms and mullions, and chamfered arrises.

The north-west elevation presents an asymmetrical composition, with the entrance tower set in a bay to the right of centre, a 4-part square-plan transomed window at the outer right, and 3 narrow set-back bays at the left adjoining the 3-stage square stair tower. The outer left bay contains a lower battlemented bay (raised to 2 storeys in 1903) with an arched gateway projecting at right angles. The south-west elevation features a 10-light stone-traceried transomed window spanning 2 floors under a string course forming a hoodmould, and a tripartite dormer window with scallop shell decoration on its tympanum. A gabled bay to the left has a 5-light canted transomed window, and a further gable to the right has a chamfered angle corbelled to square over the 1st floor, with a 1903 splayed stair tower at the re-entrant. The south-east (garden) elevation at its centre comprises 4 early bays arranged as 3 symmetrical bays with a stair to a centre door and balcony, and a gabled bay to the right with a V-plan bipartite window, a gableted parapet at ground level, and an altered window above. Further Lorimer alterations to the flanking outer bays include large canted windows, steeply-pitched dormerheaded windows, and an additional bay at the outer left. Steps and a gallery set back at the outer right, decorated with wrought iron railings and a gate, have been formed from a retained south-east wall of the lower offices, now creating a courtyard space at the north-east elevation. The windows are largely multi-pane and plate glass in timber sash-and-case frames, with some leaded upper lights and decorative leaded glazing. The roof is of grey slates, with ashlar-coped skews and striking shouldered and banded grouped ashlar stacks with chamfered angles and cans. Stone finials and cast iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers (some marked with 'M' and 'fleur de lys') complete the external treatment.

The interior contains an exceptional decorative scheme with fine joinery and plasterwork throughout. Marble and timber fire surrounds, some with Delft tile slips, inset grates, and decorative radiator covers are found in numerous rooms.

The 1880s work by Heiton includes an ashlar-clad double-height Jacobean entrance hall with a richly carved screen door and stone fireplace beneath a high panelled overmantel reflecting a high dado. A dog-leg staircase and 2-stage arcade screening the basement and 1st-floor landing, with a trabeated timber ceiling on carved corbels, open from this hall. The main staircase features arcaded balusters and carved newels, with moulded Tudor-arched openings at landings.

A double-height saloon features an almost full-height traceried window to the south-west, panelled walls with doors to flanking rooms below half timbering at 1st-floor level, and 4 individual oriel-like viewing balconies off corridors. The saloon contains a Jacobean Renaissance chimneypiece bearing the arms of Menzies of Hallyburton and dated 1609, incorporating some later fabric, as well as an arcaded screen and a large stone fireplace beneath a minstrels gallery to the north-east. The vaulted timber ceiling has ribs springing from stone corbels.

The library or billiard room at the south-west opens from the saloon and features fitted book cases, a heavy Artisan Mannerist carved timber fireplace incorporating a cupboard for billiard cues, and an open-beamed ceiling on stone corbels. A long rectangular drawing room at the centre south-east opens from the saloon, with a compartmented plaster ceiling, Gothic door and window surrounds (masking square-headed windows), and carved timber fire surrounds at each end. A smoking room, possibly a former billiard room, at basement level features Tudor-arched recesses, an inglenook fireplace, boarded timber walls, and fitted seats.

The 1903 work by Lorimer at the garden front includes a cupola and vaulted, panelled oak corridor at the north-east leading to a dining room overlooking the garden. The dining room features fumed oak panelling with a linenfold dado supporting 5 framed French tapestries of approximately 1500, a stone fireplace with a relief-carved scallop shell on the keystone, and a beamed oak ceiling with carved bosses. A French-inspired boudoir at the east retains an 1860s triangular window and incorporates 18th-century tapestries set within painted panelling. The master bedroom at the west features fine plasterwork.

The formal garden comprises sunken terraced gardens with statuary, steps, and low coped walls. The Lorimer Gate, dated 1904 and leading to the north-east end of the formal garden and thence to an arboretum, features tall square-section ashlar piers with ball finials and ogee caps, flanking a decorative ironwork pedestrian gate marked with 'M' and dated 1904. Wrought iron scrolls of foliage and flowers link the outer edges of the piers to low flanking walls. The ironwork is probably by Thomas Haddon. A sundial is listed separately.