Listed Building record MDR2516 - Catton Hall, Catton Road, Catton

Catton Hall, Catton Road, Catton, built in 1741. 'Catton Hall, a three-storeyed building of red brick with a hipped slate roof, begun in 1741-1742 for Christopher Horton. The central stone doorway has Doric columns and pediment, and an entrance in the south east side dates from the 19th century. To the left is a 'Queen Anne' style wing of 1907. Grade II*.' (1-3) 'Country house designed in 1741 for Christopher Horton by William Smith, with wing added to the design of Sir Thomas Jackson in 1907. Interior altered in the early nineteenth century. A large square brick house of severe classical design.' (4) 'Catton Hall was built in 1742 by William Smith of Warwick for Christopher Horton, whose family had lived on the site since 1405. The east (garden) front is of nine bays, the central three breaking slightly forward, the whole relieved by a stucco band above the ground floor windows and an elegantly proportioned Tuscan porch surmounted by a triangular pediment on a metope frieze. All very plain and agreeable. Within, a plastered entrance hall, staircase ceiling and generally very impressive. Glover reports that the kitchens were "large and fitted up with steam boilers, stoves, etc. by Mr Harrison of Derby" although these were replaced in 1907 by new L-shaped kitchens and offices designed by Sir T G Jackson in Queen Anne style. The property passed to Wilmot in 1823 and Sir Robert Wilmot altered the entrance front from south to east within 6 years. On the extinction of the Wilmots, it passed via the Ansons to the family of its present owner, Mr D W H Neilson.' (5) 'The Horton family has occupied Catton Hall for many years. For more than four centuries it passed directly from one Horton to another until the death of Eusebius Horton in 1823. Catton went to his elder daughter, Anne Beatrix. Eventually Catton and the baronetcy passed to a Wilmot cousin and died out in 1931. Catton however did retain its link with the Hortons; on the death of George Lewis Wilmot-Horton in 1887 who had previously held Catton, the estate passed to his niece, Anne Beatrix's grand-daughter. Christopher Horton commissioned the construction of Catton by architect James Gibbs in about 1742, completing the building in 1745. Since then there have been two important structural changes. Sometime before 1829 the main entrance was moved from the centre of the south front to the east front and in 1907 the old kitchen and offices were replaced by an L-shaped building with hipped roofs on the north east corner of the house. All of Gibb's rooms apart from the library have remained intact- for instance the drawing room has finely panelled walls and the morning room is spacious and most attractive. The estate is one mentioned in the Domesday Book and sold only once, with Horton descendants still there.' (6) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 21 NW PARISH OF CATTON CATTON ROAD 2/1 (West Side) 2.9.52 Catton Hall GV II* Country house. 1741, designed by William Smith for Christopher Horton, with minor C19 and C20 alterations, plus new wing of 1907 by Sir T G Jackson. Red brick on ashlar basement with gauged brick and stone dressings, plus first floor stone band. Hipped graduated slate roof with brick ridge stacks and moulded stone cornice with blocking course over. Nine bays by seven bays with double pile plan and three storeys plus basement. Main front facing the garden has three centre bays slightly advanced with flight of stone steps across the full width. To east side the basement has three original C18 glazing bar sashes and to west there are two similar sashes, those to west are almost encased by a pathway which has been added to the front and those to east have an early C19 bracketed stone balcony over with simple ironwork balustrade. Ground floor has a central Tuscan columned doorcase with triglyphed frieze, dentilled pediment and C19 double glazed doors. To either side there are four full height plain sashes, all with C19 pelmets. Above there are nine plain sashes and above again there are nine 2-light casement windows. All windows have flat gauged brick arches with stone keyblocks. North front has central five bays recessed with flight of stone steps up to central doorcase, flanked by three C18 glazing bar sashes to east and two similar to west, at basement level. Above, the central door has double glazed doors below a divided overlight, and to east there is one small pane cross window and three glazing bar sashes. To west there are two similar sashes and a wide central window to the advanced western bays. Above there are nine glazing bar sashes and above again there are seven similar sashes and two 2-light casement windows. As on main front all openings have flat gauged brick arches with stone keyblocks. West and east fronts have similar windows. East front has early C20 brick and stone porch to centre and west front has three centre bays advanced. Attached to north-east corner is the 1907 addition which is also of red brick with gauged brick dressings, and has a steeply pitched hipped slate roof with belled eaves, dentilled cornice and panelled brick ridge stacks. South elevation has first floor brick band with rusticated pilaster strips, between the bays, below and flat pilasters above. Ground floor has four glazing bar sashes and above there are four similar windows with gauged brick aprons, all openings have flat brick arches. Above again there are four large roof dormers with glazing bar sashes, those to either end with segmental pediments and those to centre with triangular pediments. Good quality contemporary interior has wide open well staircase with turned balusters on closed strings, solid newels, wreathed and ramped handrail and dado panelling to opposite wall. Above, the landing has a plasterwork ceiling with central eagle rose and to the top of the stairs there are moulded semi-circular headed arches with large keystones. Central entrance hall has original fireplace with pedimented overmantle and matching panel on opposite wall, both flanked by plasterwork sconces, also moulded shouldered doorcases with cornices to side walls and similar pedimented doorcase to back wall, those to side walls with overdoors decorated with plaster musical instruments; ceiling has grid of beams with moulded plasterwork. Drawing room to west side has original panelling, shouldered doorcases with moulded cornices and an early C19 marble fireplace with inlaid jasper to the jambs. Morning room to east side of hall has original panelling, fireplace with pedimented overmantle, cornicing and doorcase. Present columned entrance hall is an early C19 arrangement. Main first floor bedrooms have C18 cornicing, dado rails and. fireplaces. There is a knopped baluster back staircase up to the second floor, which originally continued down to the basement. Two second floor rooms have C17 panelling, probably re-used from an earlier house, and C18 fireplaces. There is also C17 panelling in basement rooms. Sources: Country Life, March 17, 1960, p566, and 'The Country Seat', edited by Howard Colvin and John Harris with essay on Catton Hall by Andor Gomme, p157, 1970. Listing NGR: SK2061315359.' (7)