Wigfair Hall

Wigfair Hall

A large irregularly-planned country house in Tudorbethan style, built of red Ruabon brick on a snecked limestone plinth with steeply-pitched tiled roof and sandstone dressings. The building features tall, multiple-stack chimneys with oversailing courses to their tops, moulded stone gable parapets with ball finials, and a continuous moulded stringcourse between ground and first floors. Windows on all elevations except the south and west (service) sides are mullioned and transomed or mullioned type with ovolo-moulded detail and, in parts, leaded lights. The service sides have small-pane sash windows, mostly of 12-pane configuration.

The house essentially comprises a recessed north range facing the approach, adjoining an eastern terrace range at right-angles. The entrance front therefore forms a half courtyard, with the entrance placed in the advanced gable end of the terrace range. This entrance takes the form of a moulded, hollow-chamfered arch with returned label and blind tracery spandrel carving, with panelled double doors bearing decorative iron hinges and original decorative brass bell-pull. A foundation stone at the foot of the right-hand reveal bears the inscribed date 1882. Above the entrance are three recessed panels: the central panel contains a carved heraldic crest, while the flanking panels carry shields. A first-floor canted oriel window with central cross window and single transomed flanking lights sits above.

The right return of the entrance gable has a large gabled projection with projecting chimney, stepped-up irregularly, and single and two-light windows. To the right are paired 6-light mullioned and transomed windows to both ground and first floors. Extruded into the angle between the eastern and northern ranges is a large canted stair bay with tall mullioned and transomed windows, its western face gabled. To the left of the north range is an entrance with boarded door (formerly a 2-light window), with further 2, 3 and 6-light windows to upper floors, including a 2-light window to a small gabled dormer and two cross-windows to the ground floor. A gabled projection marks the centre of the range, with windows as described. Beyond this is a 2-storey service range of inferior brick construction, possibly an early addition.

The 5-bay terrace front is near-symmetrical, consisting of a central storied, canted bay with surmounting gable and shallow gabled projections to the outer bays. Large 2, 3 and 4-light mullioned and transomed windows are provided throughout, with a continuous stringcourse between ground and first floors. The left-hand side of the central canted bay contains a contemporary partly-glazed garden door. Centred above the stringcourse is a lozenge-shaped sandstone plaque bearing the carved monogram RHH (for R H Howard) and the date 1884. The north gable end of this range has a further large single-storey canted bay with cross-windows above and a triple-light window to the gable apex. Set back from the terrace range and continuing northwards is a further storied, gabled wing, connected to the rear of the front range by a storied link block. The link block has a moulded Tudor-arched entrance with boarded and studded door and a large 4-light mullioned and transomed window to the right, with three 3-light mullioned windows to the first floor under the eaves. The gabled wing projects slightly and has a large canted oriel to the first floor with a 3-light mullioned and transomed window below, with a lateral chimney to the left (north) side.

To the rear of the north (front) range stands a large square tower rising to four storeys, which dominates the south and west (service) sides. It has a pyramidal roof, sharply feathered at the eaves, with a surmounting lead ball finial and a decorative gabled dormer to the south face. The tower's third and fourth storeys are slightly jettied and have moulded brick stringcourses. Adjoining the main house to the west is a service court enclosed by two long single-storey ranges on the north and south sides, with the west left open.

The interior is largely unaltered and retains high-quality original fittings in polished oak. A tripartite inner entrance screen has its upper section leaded with a multi-pane overlight. Oak dado panelling lines the entrance hall, corridor and stair-well, with two large Tudor arches leading from hall to corridor, their spandrels carved with foliate ornament in shallow relief. Compartmented ceilings with moulded ribs and panelled soffits and reveals to all windows are throughout, together with a fine counter-changed red and black tesserae floor. Moulded architraves and recessed 9-panelled doors, all with original brass furniture, are consistent.

The Boudoir (front chamber to the left) has a high ceiling with moulded plaster cornice. The three ground-floor terrace-facing rooms all possess Adamesque wooden fireplaces. The two southernmost rooms are inter-connecting drawing rooms separated by a pair of panelled oak sliding screen doors, with Tudorbethan geometric plaster ceilings featuring conjoined octagons and circles. The dining room features full-height small-field oak panelling with a Tudor-arched fireplace and bracketed mantelpiece supporting a 5-panel carved overmantel with dentilated cornice. A Tudor-arched panelled buffet niche with exuberantly carved spandrels, frieze and cornice occupies one wall, bearing a carved shield of Howard arms to the centre with accompanying motto. Below is a contemporary fitted sideboard, widely-canted with geometric panelled doors flanking a central 2-drawer section with void below. Opposite the fireplace stands a large, wide, canted bay with Tudor arch, featuring panelled soffit and reveals, carved spandrels and gadrooned frieze with fluted pilasters to the sides. The carved date 1895 is centred within this arch, relating to the buffet niche, this arch, and the heightening to full height of what had originally been three-quarter panelling. Panelled and tiled service corridors with a complete bell-rack are provided.

The first floor has original 6-panelled doors with moulded doorcases, plate shelves and moulded oak cornices to the main corridor, with further Tudor arches carved as before.

The stairhall features a limestone fireplace with segmental arch and the carved motto "Watch, Ward, Win", flanked by turned posts supporting a mantel shelf with a carved tripartite overmantel. The stair ascends in a long flight, returning at bottom and top to form a very long shallow well. A balustraded gallery forms an open screen of 5 Tudor-arched sections with spandrel carving as before and triple open lights above. Turned balusters line the stair, with geometric finials to square newel posts. Six fine heraldic glass panels light the stair window.