Description

In the entry for: BEVERLEY LAIRGATE (west side) 8/166 The Hall (now Municipal Offices) The address shall be amended to read: BEVERLEY LAIRGATE (west side) The Hall (now Borough Council Offices)

------------------------------------ TA 0339 BEVERLEY LAIRGATE (west side) 8/166 The Hall (now Municipal 1.3.50 Offices) GV I The house of the Pennyman family. Circa 1700 and 1780. Red brick and stone dressings painted except where otherwise stated. This important house had a series of larger scale rooms added to its western side, and a remodelling of the staircase and centre feature of the entrance front about 1780. Externally the work was executed in a conservative vein following the main lines of the older building and represents a sympathetic and successful fusion of the two periods. Much of the work is of the highest quality. Two storeys high. East front, five windows wide with a strongly marked centre to be described in detail. Late 18th century sashes. Openings have gauged heads with stone triple keyblocks and moulded stone cills. Stone long and short quoins. Boldly projecting stone base crowned by a cove mould. Modillion crowning cornice in wood. Three pedimented sash dormers. Roof, of graded Westmorland slate, hipped. Flight of 6 moulded steps with returns of natural stone, circa 1780. On the ground floor is a tetrastyle Roman Doric portico of shallow projection with correct responds and centre intercolumniation of double width. Columns are sandstone monoliths. An inner range of 2 further columns screens a deep recess into the body of the house. This recess or open vestibule appears to have been modified circa 1800. The inner angles are rounded and in the centre is the doorway with a semi-circular fanlight and a reeded architrave in painted stone, double doors with solid lower panels and upper ones glazed in 6 small panes. Two shallow round-headed niches, with reeded edges, to side walls, dado, and plaster cornice. A plain stone lintel with moulded cornice is supported by the columns of the portico, over this is a balustrade and a triple window with its wide centre opening filled with two rather narrow sashes, and flanked by two small Greek Ionic attached columns. The outer faces of the small side windows are flanked by Ionic pilasters. The entablature is broken over the centre opening. The south front is flanked by two large semi-octagonal bays each of three windows in width. The east bay dates to approximately 1700 and the west one to 1780. Though possessing the same moulded cill string to the first floor, and the gauged arches with stone key-blocks of the other windows the 1780 bay is taller than the east one and projects upwards into the roof. The base, quoins and crowning cornice repeat on the east side as also do the details of one dormer. The bays have Westmorland slate roofs with lead ridges. West front 1780, five windows wide. Apart from lighter boxings to larger windows the details repeat the other fronts. North front follows similar lines but is entirely of 1700 and preserves some original heavy sashes. There is a discreet service wing. The interior contains remains of bolection moulded panelling on first floor. Very spacious staircase hall with cantilevered staircase of wood (1780), coved ceiling with 'Adam' decoration and dome light. 'Adam' doorcases and mahogany doors, those to the Dining and Drawing Rooms being richly detailed and of first quality. These 2 main rooms of 1780 are of considerable size and have most of their mouldings enriched with carving. The Drawing Room has a bowed end, a very elaborate 'Adam' ceiling and a hand-painted Chinese wallpaper. The Dining Room walls are panelled and enriched with arabesques. The ceiling is elaborately panelled and enriched. There is a fine mantel in this room. NMR photos and Country Life article 23.4.53.

Listing NGR: TA0326239284

External Links

• Wikidata Q17533917

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