Description

HERTFORD

TL3212SE QUEEN'S ROAD
817-1/20/175 (North side)
10/02/50 Bailey Hall

GV II*

House, subsequently school, now offices. Early C18, C19
extensions at right (east). Grey brick (south) front with red
dressings, red flank elevations, rear (north) has red brick
with grey quoins to central bays, and grey pilasters with red
quoins, all Flemish bond; old tiled roofs concealed by tall
parapets with recessed panels and moulded stone copings,
chimneystacks rebuilt late C19, red brick with moulded stone
band and coping, multiple orange clay pots.
PLAN: double-depth plan, central entrance, through hall and
staircase on ground floor with 4 principal rooms on each
floor, service rooms in basement.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, 5-bay principal elevations. First (south)
elevation subdivided 1:3:1 by colossal red brick Tuscan
pilasters, with moulded Portland stone bases and caps,
supporting carved brick triglyphs and a brick carved and
moulded forward above the pilasters. 5 nearly flush-set sash
windows on each floor, with moulded architraves, those on
first and second floors having upper sashes with 4 above 2
panes, and lower sashes plain glazed; ground floor with tall
18-pane sash windows. Windows have red rubbed brick flat
arches and quoins, with moulded cornice heads above those on
ground and first floors (corresponding to moulded bands across
the other elevations), and shallow 2 course red apron bands
below sills on first and second floors.
Central doorway set above 3 Portland stone steps with C19
scrolled iron railing. Recessed 6 flush panelled door beneath
sunburst traceried Adam-style fanlight, in fielded panel
reveal. (This is a late C18 replacement door; the original is
said to be now installed at No.25 West Street (qv)). Doorcase
with fluted Corinthian pilasters with a modillioned cornice
and segmental pediment.
Narrow single bay late C19 3-storey extension to right (east),
yellow-grey brick, with pale orange dressings and flank
elevation, hipped Welsh slated roof, with 2-storey canted bay
window with plain glazed sashes, flat roofed single storey
extension at far right. Yellow brick with red dressings.
Rear (north) elevation 5 bays with shallow break forward of
centre 3; colossal pilasters, grey brick with red quoins,
triglyph cornice, detail as south front, red brick parapet
ends to central projection. First floor has five 12

semicircular arched head, second floor with five 12 pane
windows, moulded brick bands at first- and second-floor level,
the latter arched over the central window, with moulded
Portland stone blocks where the bands pass through the grey
brickwork framing the central projection. Central doorway 6
steps above ground level with plain wrought-iron railings, and
with basement windows visible below rubbed red brick arches at
either side. 6 raised and fielded panelled door beneath blind
semicircular fanlight with 2 raised and fielded panels, with
rusticated inner surround and voussoir arch, with Tuscan Doric
columns, entablature, shallow modillioned cornice and
pediment.
INTERIOR: entrance hall 2 bays, with front and back hall
divided by attached three quarter wood Corinthian columns,
with one quarter 'buried' responds in outer corners. Bold
bolection architraves to 8 panelled doors. Elaborate plaster
cornice with foliated modillions, egg-and-dart ornament and
dentils. The columns support an entablature with soffit with
raised Greek Key ornament. Main stair open well, hardwood,
open string, carved tread brackets, curtail steps, iron twist
on vase and column on vase balusters, moulded handrail and
dado with veneered panelling and marquetry motifs. Ground
floor through room a C19 creation, panelling part C18, dentil
frieze and modillion cornice, architrave surrounds to windows
and panelled shutters, marble fireplace with pier glass above
with carved swags of oak leaves and acorns at side.
Ground floor rooms as east side subdivided and cornices cut,
when east extensions built, front room (dining room) with
dentil frieze and bold cyma mouldings, black marble fireplace.
First floor landing has C18 panelling, moulded dado rail,
bolection moulded architraves and 8 fielded panelled doors. 2
front bedrooms with central dressing room over entrance hall,
with panelling and wood cornices, some panelled window seats
and shutters. Front and back bedrooms on west side have
interconnecting closets with 2 raised and fielded panelled
door with 'H' hinges. Rear bedroom has fireplace with eaved
architrave surround, with inner C19 polished quartzite
surround, heavy double cyma cornice with breaks over windows.
Service stair alongside main stair runs from basement to
attics, dogleg plan newel construction, open string with
brackets to treads and stick balusters.
Second floor rooms retain early C18 and C17 style features of
an archaic character. Front west room has panelling, dentil
frieze, and crude Ionic pilaster surrounds to windows,
fireplace with square panelled chimneybreast, door with 2
large panels above and below 2 small square panels. Rear west
room has panelling of early/mid C18 style, moulded dado with
large panels above and below, double cyma cornice. Roof

structure of four low roofs separated by valleys, largely sawn
timbers of strutted purlin construction. Basement originally
contained kitchens, plain flagged and board floors, 2 brick
vaults, and said to retain passage, now blocked, leading to
Hertford Castle.
HISTORICAL NOTE: Bailey (or Bayley) Hall was referred to as a
manor house in 1621. The present house was built c1700 but may
incorporate features such as the attic panelling from an
earlier structure. In 1721 it was described as in the tenure
of Edward Blackmore, Mayor of Hertford in 1713. By 1800 it was
the residence of Henry Allingham, County Coroner and Under
Sheriff, who sold it in 1845. The exterior remained largely
unaltered apart from the removal of a large segmental pediment
over the middle 3 bays. In 1900 the house was purchased for
use by the Headmaster of Hertford School, and the eastern
extension, and later, a classroom were built. The building is
now used for County Council offices.
(Hertfordshire Countryside: Forrester H: Hertford Homes in
Queen Anne's Day: Letchworth: 1946-1960: 104-107; The
Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Hertfordshire: Harmondsworth:
1977-: 189-90; Smith JT: English Houses 1200-1800: The
Hertfordshire Evidence: London: 1992-: 133; Smith JT:
Hertfordshire Houses: Selective Inventory: London: 1993-: 81).

Listing NGR: TL3264712452

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Bailey Hall at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17554102

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)