Brougham Hall

Description

Brougham Hall, immediately S. of Chapel of St. Wilfrid, was largely re-built in the first half of the last century by Lord Brougham. This house was demolished in 1934, but adjoining the road on the N. of the site is a two-storeyed range of rubble outbuildings, probably of 17th-century origin. The adjoining gateway has an elliptical head and is fitted with a panelled and nail-studded door with a wicket. Inside the building, one room has a segmental barrel-vault and on the upper floor is some early 17th-century panelling. The E. end of the stables incorporates seven Roman inscribed stones (Plate 4). (RCHME 1936)

Attempts have been made to assign a very early date to this Hall, affirming that the gateway is of the early Norman period, and that it possessed a private chapel as early as 1393. But when in 1691 Thomas, lord Tufton, demolished Brougham castle in order to rebuild Appleby castle, James Bird was his steward and it is quite possible that he removed one of the gateways and rebuilt it up as the entrance to his own Hall. The chapel, as we have seen already, was the parish chapel of ease and not a private one.
When the Lady Anne was founding her Hospital at Appleby she endowed it with one-third of the manor of Brougham, which included a mansion house and lands round about it known as Brougham Hall, which she purchased from James Browne.
On the death of James Bird, or of his son William, the male issue ceased, and shortly after John Brougham of Scales in Cumberland was enabled to purchase back the whole manor and Hall of his ancestors. He entailed the estate upon his four nephews, viz.:— Henry Richmond and John, sons of his brother Peter, and John and Henry, sons of his brother Samuel. From the last named Henry the estate has descended.
In 1829 Lord Chancellor Brougham almost entirely rebuilt the Hall and it has undergone several modifications since. (Curwen 1932)

Brougham Hall was largely rebuilt in the early 19th century and demolished in 1934. North of the site is a range of outbuildings, probably 17th century. An adjoining gateway has an elliptical head and is fitted with a nail-studded door with a wicket. The east end of the stables incorporated seven Roman stones now in Brougham Castle Gatehouse (RCHME 1936).
Ruins of Brougham Hall and outer buildings, Grade 2star. Ruins of hall, billiard room, coach archway and cellars beneath. Early C19, incorporating part of the earlier hall, by L.N. Cottingham for Lord Brougham; partly demolished in 1934. Mixed sandstone rubble walls with ashlar dressings, without roofs. U-shaped buildings on 3 sides of courtyard. Of the hall range little remains except the cellars and a few courses of stonework, originally covered by demolition rubble but now (1986) being cleared and excavated for public exhibition. Parts of the stonework show where canted bay windows were and a small medieval rectangular tower or turret.
Curtain walls, gateways and associated buildings with integral stables and domestic ranges. Grade 2star. Partly late C15 or early C16 with C17 additions; unifying early C19 alterations and additions by L.N. Cottingham for Lord Brougham, partly demolished 1934. Walls of mixed sandstone rubble with C19 battlemented parapets, without roofs. U-shaped wall, part of which was totally demolished (but being rebuilt in 1986 in similar materials) with a left inner C19 gateway, near which is an external C17 gateway and central early C19 2-storey, square gate tower. Inside the wall beside the C17 gateway is a guardhouse under parapet walk. Between the gateways is a 2-storey, 3-bay late C15 or early C16 range. Beyond the gate tower are the ruins of C19 stables and domestic ranges (Listed Building Reports). (PastScape)

Comments

Defensible site of C13-C16 Hall, largely rebuilt in C19, with C17 outbuildings. Was in ruins but being restored. Perriam and Robinson suggests a licence to crenellate granted to Ricardus de Brun probably refers to the Hall rather than the Clifford held Castle; however Gatehouse can only assume this supposed licence must be the 1307 licence for Drombogh since the damaged mandate to make a licence for Brouham in 1309 can not be attributed to Ricardus de Brun. No association between de Brun and Brougham has been established, although a James Browne sold the hall in the C17. Few remains of medieval fortifications. This was an important Victorian house (one of several 'Windsors of the North' although this modest hall certainly does not deserve that label) and clearly a site that has been restored to look fortified, and some 'history' of the site may be invented. The surviving bits of in situ work do not look defensive but this far north it is probably the curtain wall is original (even if it's crenellations are not).