Listed Building record MDR3481 - Haddon Hall

Haddon Hall, an exceedingly well preserved, walled but unfortified, manor house of 12th century origin with alterations made by the Vernon family from Edward IIIs to Elizabeth Is reign, and completed in the 17th century by the Manners family. (1) The most important part architecturally is the cross-wing of about 1370, which divides the Lower from the Upper Courtyard. The Chapel affords a cross-section through all the building periods of the house. (2) The Hall was unoccupied for two centuries until 1912 when restoration was begun. There are no defensive earthworks. Now partly used as a residence [1966]. (3) The Hall is also partly open to the public [1964]. (4) Haddon Hall is a grade I listed, large double courtyard, fortified manor house. It was the seat of the Dukes of Rutland and built by the Vernon family. Fragments of 12th century works remain, but the Hall is mainly of two periods, with the upper courtyard built mainly in the second quarter of the 14th century and the lower courtyard built mostly in the 15th century. There was also major refashionings and alterations of 16th and 17th century date, and a major restoration between 1920 and 1930, supervised by Mr Leonard Stanhope, the Clerk of Works. It is built of limestone and gritstone rubble and ashlar gritstone with gritstone dressings and quoins. It has a leaded roof, mostly hidden by embattled parapets with ridgeback copings. The roofs and parapets are mostly 20th century. There are numerous stone ridge and side wall stacks, mostly 20th century, some with crenellated tops, plus massive late 15th century exernal stacks to the west side of the Great Hall and, possibly 14th century, corbelled out stone stacks to the north walls. It is of two storeys with a four storey north-west gatetower, and a three storey eastern Peveril Tower and north-east lodgings to the upper courtyard. The Hall has a double courtyard plan on a sloping site with upper courtyard to north-east and lower courtyard to south-west. Inside the chapel are two-bay arcardes of double chamfered pointed arches; that to north on 15th century capital and polygonal column, that to south on mutilated late 12th century scalloped capital and column. There are fine 'grisailles' wall paintings to the nave and early 17th century oak pews and furnishings, inscribed 'GM 1624'. There is 15th century stained glass to the east, north and south windows; the east one inscribed 'Ornate pro animabus Riccardi Vernon et Benedicte uxoris eius qui fecerunt anno dni 1472'. Below the east window is a 14th century Nottingham alabaster reredos, introduced in the 20th century. To the south side of the nave is a 12th century plain circular font with a 17th century cover of double curved scrolls meeting at central knob, and an 1894 marble tomb to Robert Manners, with a figure of the dead boy to the top and coats of arms and heads of the family to the sides. Opposite, there is a 15th century stoop on an octagonal stem with a crenellated top. The Great Hall has a 15th century timber screens passage, with cusped panelling and a gallery over. It also has an arched braced roof dated 1923, a 16th century panelled lobby to the south through to the parlour and 16th century panelling to the walls. There is a large cavetto moulded fireplace to the west and four, four-centred arched doorcases to the north of the screens passage; the eastern one opens on to the staircase up to the gallery, whilst the other three lead to the kitchen, pantry and buttery, all with original oak studded doors. The 14th century kitchen has two massive segmental fireplaces, impressive 17th century oak kitchen furniture and a 16th century chamfered cross beam roof supported near the centre by a braced wooden pier. There is a bakehouse beyond to the east with breadovens and dough troughs, with a slaughter house beyond again to the east. The parlour to the south of the Great Hall has its original c. 1500 painted ceiling, and panelling throughout, dated 1545, with a carved frieze next to the ceiling. Above is the Earl's Bedroom, refashioned in the 17th century, when plasterwork frieze and ceiling, and panelling was inserted. Beyond this room to the west is another apartment with the remains of 14th century timber walling still visible. The Long Gallery and State Bedroom to the east are both 17th century in date. The Long Gallery has classically inspired panelling, huge windows and plasterwork ceiling. The State Bedroom beyond has a fireplace with elborate plaster overmantle similar to those at Hardwick. See List description for more details. (5) Haddon Hall is set within a grade I Registered Park and Garden. It is a manor house built on a double courtyard plan. A house is mentioned in documents of c. 1170, and a licence to build a wall around it was granted in 1195. Some evidence of the 12th century work survives, but the upper (northern) courtyard is mainly of mid 14th century date, and the lower (southern) courtyard dates largely from the 15th century. There is a chapel with 12th century origins and 15th century grisaille wall decorations at the south-east corner of the lower courtyard. A long gallery and adjacent state bedroom, on the south-east side of the building overlooking the gardens, have 16th century origins. The Great Hall, close to the centre of the complex, has one of the best medieval screens in the country (Pevsner and Williamson 1978) and the kitchen is a remarkable survival with many early fittings. Haddon Hall is widely considered to be one of the finest and least altered buildings of its type in England. It is in private ownership (1998). (6) Photographic record. (9)