NHER 3006 (Building record) - Bylaugh Hall

1981. Field Observation.
An impressive building of 1849 to 1852 that has been in ruins since about 1950. The house was constructed of yellow stone cladding over red brick and survives only as a shell, overgrown with ivy and bushes. A simple late Georgian style stable court survives to the northeast of the house along with a tall, detached clock tower [NHER 46263]. The clock has four large faces and still strikes.
For full details see (S1) in file.
E. Rose (NAU), 25 September 1981.

December 1981.
A tall, roofless building with large windows situated behind the clock tower (NHER 46263) is visible in NAU aerial photographs. This was not visible during the previous visit and may be the remains of the conservatory mentioned by [1]. A press article (S2) notes that this was one of the first buildings in the region to be constructed with steel girders.
E. Rose (NAU), 11 December 1981.

April 1982. Listed, Grade II*.
Listing Description excerpt:
"Ruinous country house. 1850-52. Charles Barry, junior, and R. Banks for trustees of Sir John Lombe. Ashlar faced brick,now roofless. Elizabethan Prodigy House style. Two storeys with basement and attics. Extra storey to centre bay. Entrance façade of seven bays of ovolo-moulded stone mullion and transom windows. Three-light to centre bay and two-light to other bays. Bay divisions accentuated by boldly projecting semi-rusticated pilasters topped with obelisks. Rusticated basement storey with two-light plain chamfered mullion windows. Former strapwork parapet around basement well. Five out of six dormers survive with segmental pediments and two-light ovolo-moulded mullion windows. Elaborately decorated central single storey porch consisting of angle pilasters with diamond rustication and bas relief carvings; three-centred entrance arch with deeply carved arms above; pierced parapet with obelisks and heraldic beasts. Horizontal divisions employ at each level a full entablature with a cartouche to each section of frieze. Twin pilasters flank main corners and taller centre bay and rise to form turrets. Garden façade, largely obscured by ivy, consists of a taller centre bay flanked by two-storey rectangular bays. West façade is of five bays, the centre three bays slightly recessed."
Information from (S3).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S3) for the current listing details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 5 March 2022.

The former service wing and courtyard to the east and the gate piers, railings and gazebo to the north were separately listed Grade II in 1982. These two groups of structures are now recorded as NHERs 46263 and 65443 respectively.
P. Watkins (HES), 5 March 2022.

1992. Field Observation.
Brief observations were made during a second visit to the Hall. Considerable deterioration was evident, and several more of the pinnacles and dormers on the north façade had fallen.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 15 January 2008.

An important great house, one of the first to be constructed in East Anglia with steel girders (S2). It was built in the mid 19th century, with stone clad brick walls, three storeys, a basement, and an elaborate north façade. It was used by the RAF during World War Two, when military buildings and an airstrip were constructed, and was gutted in about 1950 (S1). It stood in ruins until 2004, when renovation works began (S4).
D. Robertson (NLA), 26 August 2005.

(S5) in file states the architect of the house was Thomas Jekyll.
E. Rose (NLA), 24 February 2006.

See press cuttings (S4) for details of restoration progress (in file).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 4 July 2006.

The Hall grounds were arranged and laid out by W. A. Nesfield (S8).
The RAF used the ground floor and the rooms of the courtyard during World War Two (S9).
See (S8) and (S9).
M. Dennis (NLA), 2 August 2006.

March 2008.
Proposal to extend the existing residence at 'The Old Orchard' and to convert it to a health and spa centre.
See (S9) for more information.
H. White (NLA) 21 November 2008.

April 2008. Conservation Statement.
The architect William Wilkins was commissioned to complete a set of plans in 1822 for a new Bylaugh Hall. However, Wilkins died in 1839, so reworked plans by Banks and Barry, economising Wilkins' designs, were drawn up. The building of Bylaugh Hall was carried out between 1849 and 1852, costing a total of £29,389. The hall was designed on a square plan, with symmetrical facades on all sides, with two full storeys and a partially sunken basement. The interior walls were of red brick, probably produced at the estate's brick kiln, and the exterior walls were of Magnesium Limestone from the quarries of Mr Grissel, the same used at Westminster Palace. The main entrance opened onto two secondary hallways, and there was a main room in each corner. A Saloon with a barrel vaulted ceiling featuring glass skylights formed the principal central space. The west rooms on the ground floor were designed for a gentleman's home, a style of living that was becoming increasingly popular during the 19th century. The first floor was given over to bedrooms and dressing rooms, and the second floor featured further bedrooms. The basement accommodated a multitude of storage rooms including beer, ale and wine cellars, larders, a dairy and bakehouse as well as the servants' quarters. Connected to the eastern façade of the main hall was a double storey range with basements connecting the hall to the stable block. This range was a service wing and was constructed of gault brick with limestone window surrounds. The stable block was a two storey range of timber-framed buildings arranged around a central courtyard, built of brick from the Holkham Estate.
See (S10) for further information.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 23 July 2009.

August 2009.
See (S11) for details of a Victorian photograph of the site.
H. White, (NLA), 1 Spetember 2009

Article - 1999, 1999, 2006, missing from file [Jo Yates, 23 September 2010].

This grade 2 listed building has now been put up for sale this article includes pictures and a short history of the building.
See (S12) for further information.
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 15 February 2013.