Listed Building: BENTLEY HALL (1335022)

Bentley Hall (formerly listed as The Hall). House. Early C17 and early C18 with C19 additions and alterations. Red brick with stone dressings, quoins and plinth. Plain tile roofs, hipped to west end of west wing, with brick ridge, side wall and gable stacks. Two storeys plus garrets , to C17 wing and two storey C18 wing. L-plan with advanced gabled three bay C17 wing to east and three bay C18 west wing. C17 wing has continuous moulded first and second floor dripmoulds and dentilled brick eaves band. South facade has central flush quoined doorcase with original oak studded door, and to either side 3-light chamfered cross windows with C20 leaded lights. To centre, covering the door and supporting bay window above, is a canted porch with two banded columns to front, each with large moulded capitals, and two tapering banded corbels with similar capitals to rear, flat moulded arches above with rounded corners. Over, a moulded cornice and the canted bay window with rusticated quoins to the front corners below the windows, 2-light chamfered cross windows to each side and two semi-circular headed lights to the front with pierced spandrels, carved head keystones and a central chamfered mullion. To either side are 2-light chamfered cross windows with C20 leaded lights. Above, the bay window has a projecting moulded cornice and a pierced balcony of cusped circles. To either side are 2-light chamfered mullion windows. East elevation has similar chamfered cross windows, with central stair windows raised in order to light the half landings. C18 west wing has rusticated quoins to western corners and a moulded eaves cornice. North elevation has an off-centre, full height ashlar single bay, with giant Corinthian pilasters, topped by a plain entablature and moulded segmental pediment with laurel leaf circle, flanked by swags to centre and swagged urn finial above. To base it has a bolection moulded doorcase with fluted keystone, now filled by glazing bar sash. To either side of the bay are blocked windows with flat gauged brick arches with stone keystones. Above, in central bay, is an original C18 glazing bar sash in moulded surround. To either side are plain blocked windows. Between the central sashes are large crude 'S' scrolls which form a sort of pediment to the lower window South elevation of the west wing has somewhat mutilated ground floor with two glazing bar sashes to west, both with flat brick arches and stone keystones which continue above as stone lintels. To east is a shallower blocked window, also with flat arch and stone keystone, but the stone lintel is considerably higher. Beyond to east, is an inserted doorcase and door. Above, four windows with alternating bolection and stepped moulded surrounds, two western ones having glazing bar sashes, whilst eastern one is partly blocked with a narrower glazing bar sash and the one between is completely blocked. All these windows project upwards into the cornice above. Interior has two fine staircases, a C17 oak, open welled dog- leg staircase with shaped splat balusters, moulded handrail, diamond finials and pendentives and an C18,part dogleg,and part winder staircase. This has moulded oak handrail and turned balusters, with carved acanthus leaf knobs, between which have been inserted iron twists. Excellent plasterwork through both wings with carved moulded cornices to all C17 first floor rooms. First floor landing to C17 wing has bolection moulded plaster panelling to one wall and large crude swags over to doorcases. Small north bedroom and the landing have later, probably early C18, plasterwork ovals on ceilings of leaves and fruit, cruder, but similar to those at Sudbury Hall. C17 wing also has an oak,bolection moulded,fireplace to one bedroom and a large inglenook fire- place to north ground floor room. All doors to this wing are oak and panelled. C18 wing has acanthus leaf cornice and square frieze of plasterwork above the staircase well. Listing NGR: SK1776038102