Knolton Hall

Knolton Hall

The earliest form of this building is evident in the layout of the entrance front, which comprises a central hall range flanked by two advanced gabled wings, both with lateral stacks. The left-hand wing is partially timber framed, with framing surviving in the gable end and part of the return wall to the garden front, featuring small panels with cusped quatrefoils. The rest of the building is painted brick with heavy slate roofs throughout. During 19th century remodelling, the front gables were painted with mock framing, which has since disappeared.

The fenestration of the left-hand wing dates entirely from the 19th century, with carved mullioned and transomed windows, some featuring decorative leading. Towards the rear of this wing, a pavilion-roofed tower was added in the 19th century over the staircase. The entrance hall itself is gabled and was probably raised in height during the 19th century remodelling with the addition of a gabled upper storey, which is jetted in brick. The central doorway sits in a porch flanked by 19th century carved wood mullioned and transomed windows of two lights. A six-light mullioned window above the doorway is also a 19th century insertion, and a four-light mullioned window in similar style appears in the attic, which features a carved wood entablature bearing the inscription 'every house is builded by some man but he that built all things is God'.

The right-hand gable appears to form part of the original layout, although its external structure is no earlier than the 18th century. Upper windows have the carved mullions characteristic of the 19th century work, but there is possibly one original opening surviving at ground floor level. This wing is partially wrapped round by a later wing that appears to be mid-18th century in date. The fenestration belongs to the 19th century remodelling, but the brickwork, which includes part bands in the return elevation, is 18th century. It appears to have been extended by a single bay to the rear, probably during the major 19th century remodelling. Ornately panelled bargeboards throughout were all added during the 19th century.

The garden front is entirely a mid-19th century addition to the house and may itself have been extended by one bay to the right. It comprises a two-storeyed, three-window range with two gables over the left-hand windows and a steeper gable over the narrower right-hand bay, which appears to be of newer brickwork. A four-light mullioned and transomed rectangular bay window occupies the centre, with a similar window to the left; above are a three-light mullioned and transomed window to the left and two-light sashes above the bay window and in the right-hand bay. An axial stack is present.

The rear elevation features gables over the hall range and cross wing with subsidiary gables of lesser height built against them, representing a 19th century extension of the original plan. The northern gable extends the 18th century wing and appears to date from the late 18th or early 19th century, pre-dating the major 19th century remodelling. A wide return gable of the 19th century wing to the right was itself extended along its rear elevation in the early 20th century.

The plan comprises an entrance hall with flanking wings and staircase, with a corridor added in the 19th century running to the rear of the hall, connecting the 19th century garden front wing with the back stairs at the rear of the northern cross wing of the hall and the 18th century wing to the north. The entrance hall was opened out through two storeys during the 19th century remodelling, with a gallery running along the eastern wall featuring an 18th century ornate cast iron rail, said to have come from Overton church. Dado panelling may partly pre-date the remodelling, possibly from the 17th century, and can be clearly distinguished from the 19th century pine panelling which forms architraves to doorways and frames the stairs with foliate fretwork. A pine panelled pedimented overmantle is dated 1868, with initials 'CMARC' on scrollwork. The staircase opens off the hall towards the rear left, dating from the early 18th century, with turned balusters at three per tread, carved tread ends, a fluted newel and swept rail.

Decorative plasterwork over the doorway to the south room features dado panelling similar in style to that in the hall. The north room contains simpler moulded full-height panelling in 17th century style but almost certainly of late 19th century date, with plaster moulding to beams which panel the ceiling and a corner fireplace. This room formerly extended further towards the rear of the house, where small service rooms have since been created. 'Cromwell Road' in the 18th century north wing appears to have been remodelled in the 19th century, with graining over oak dado panelling and an ornate carved surround to a corner fireplace. Upper rooms in this wing have chamfered ceiling beams and bolection moulded fireplaces, one of which retains a rectangular hob-grate of the late 18th century. A double ogee grate also survives on the first floor of the northern cross wing of the hall.