Listed Building record MDR751 - Bentley Hall, Derby Lane, Hungry Bentley

Bentley Hall, Derby Lane, Hungry Bentley, originally an early 17th century building. 'This is an Elizabethan hall built of Jacobean brick and stone with flat quoins. It has a central centred bay window at the front. The west side is late 17th century in date with rusticated quoins and a pediment. The style of the building is so similar to Sudbury Hall that it may be by Sir William Wilson.' (1) The hall has some fine c1600 exterior fabric. See G.P's AO/66/27/3 & 4. (2) 'Although the north wing of Bentley Hall has outstanding architectural detail, the house is now unoccupied [in 1976] and in a state of disrepair. To the south-east of the Hall is the east arm, and partial remains of a south arm to a homestead moat [see SMR 21404].' (3) 'Bentley Hall (formerly listed as The Hall) is a Grade II* listed building. It is an early 17th century and early 18th century house with 19th century additions and alterations. It is built of red brick with stone dressings, and has quoins and a plinth. It has plain tile roofs, hipped to the west end of west wing, with a brick ridge, side wall and gable stacks. It has two storeys plus garrets to the 17th century wing and two storeys to the 18th century wing. The hall has an L-shaped plan, with an advanced gabled three-bay 17th century wing to the east and a three-bay 18th century west wing.' (4) 'The estate at Hungry Bentley was granted by James I to Thomas Brown of Shredicote, Staffordshire, and the older part of the present house was apparently built soon after 1612-14, replacing its predecessor which stood within the nearby moat. The estate was sold by the Brownes to the Wilmots in 1749 and under them became a tenanted farm. It was sold again in 1860 to Lord Vernon and 18 years later was reported as 'fast going into decay'. It had been described by Woolley in 1712 as '… a good large park and … seat … an old house and also a very good new brick and stone house built by the late Thomas Browne…'. The park was still noted as being 'large' in the earlier 19th century but Lord Vernon seems to have put it all down to tillage. It remained a farm until at least 1975, but the house is now a private residence.' (5) 'Tree-ring analysis of timbers from Bentley Hall indicates that a high proportion of the timbers were felled in the late 17th-early 18th century, with a small number of timbers dating to the early 17th century. A possible interpretation is that the present hall is a late 17th-early 18th century remodelling of an early 17th century house.' (6) 'Hungry Bentley Hall is a small country house consisting of a Jacobean rectangular three-storey pavilion, with extension to the rear, and a c1700 two storey west-wing. The building id primarily of brick, with stone used for dressings, plinth and cellar walling. The older part of the building has a near-central stack and thin partition walls made from timber framing and brick an plaster infill. The building in grade II* listed as a result of not having suffered from any serious 'improvement' since the 18th century, apart from re-roofing. The Jacobean hall was built next to the in-filled north side of a medieval moated site, indicating that it replaced an earlier manor house to the south [SMR 21404]. This earlier house had an associated medieval deer park [SMR 21412]. Comparative studies of the Jacobean building and its features suggest that the building was probably completed in c1630, refurbished in 1672 and enlarged with the addition of a west wing in c1700. Some surviving timberwork indicates an original symmetrically-gabled double-pile style roof. The building was also probably ungraded in the early 1660s, with the examples of plasterwork in the first floor suite of rooms and landing, and a baroque-style canted bay added to the frontage. The farm buildings within the curtilage of the hall date from different periods of the 19th century. Many of the structures illustrated on the 1841 Tithe Map and 1st / 2nd edition Ordnance Survey maps have been demolished. The stable range, wash-house and pig stys appear to have been reconstructed and extended in the late 19th century.' (7) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 13 NE PARISH OF HUNGRY BENTLEY DERBY LANE 5/23 (South Side) 13.6.67 Bentley Hall (formerly listed II* 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.' (8)