Walburn Hall

Description

Fortified manor house, originally larger than present farmhouse. C15 and C16, restored in the early C19 by Timothy Hutton of Marske in Swaledale. Rubble with ashlar dressings, stone slate roof. Two storeys, irregular plan of an L-shape around a cobbled courtyard to the front, and two further small wings projecting to the rear. Principal range on east side of courtyard, west elevation: 3 bays with quoined, gabled tower porch with ribbed boarded door in early - C19 ashlar surround with hoodmould below blocked 2-light chamfered mullion window with hoodmould. In gable a blocked 4-centred arched light with hoodmould. Square kneelers, ridged coping and square pedestal finial. On either side of porch, deep plinth almost 2 metres high, coped with stone slates. Quoins to right. First floor: blocked 2-light chamfered mullion windows. To right, raised verge with square kneeler, ridged coping and square pedestal finial with acorn. Tripled octagonal ashlar corniced chimneys to left and at centre. Rear (east) elevation of principal range: quoins. 2- and 3-light chamfered mullion windows with hoodmoulds, all early C19. South elevation of principal range, facing road: quoins. 2-storey square bay window with blocked 5-light chamfered mullion window below a 5-light chamfered mullion-and-transom window, the lower lights blind. Bay has double-cyma-moulded pediment with a square pedestal finial set diagonally and lead roof. Above, in gable of principal range, a shuttered 4-centred-arched light with hoodmould. Cross wing to principal range, south elevation: 2 bays. Ground-floor door and windows early C19. First floor: left bay gabled with oriel-like C15 window of 3 pointed-arch lights in hollow-chamfered ashlar surround, retaining some medieval heraldic stained glass. Above is a blocked rectangular light and coped gable with finial. In right bay a C16 hollow-chamfered window of 2 cinquefoil-headed lights under hoodmould. To left of cross wing front wall continues at ground-floor level with quoined, chamfered, segmental-arched doorway, and connects with ruined section of hall consisting of 3 walls standing up to first-floor height containing various C15 and C16 doorways and windows. West return of cross wing originally the inside wall of the ruined section, has on ground floor a chamfered quoined-surround doorway to left of blocked doorway with 4-centred arch. On first floor 2 early - C19 windows, and to right a blocked fireplace with 4-centred arch. Ashlar coping and octagonal chimney at left end, corniced stack in centre. North end of rear wing: on ground floor, a blocked quoined doorway with 4-centred arch. Above, a blocked cross window; to left, cross window. Projecting at right angles from centre of this wall is a vast offset chimney with opening blocked to form doorway on west side. East elevation of rear wing: on ground floor, chamfered mullion window of semicircular-headed lights with hoodmoulds, similar single-light window with vertical bar. First floor: hollow- chamfered mullion window of 2 pointed-arched lights with deeply-recessed spandrels. To right, quoined garderobe turret projects with chamfered first-floor vent. Interior: in living room chamfered, triangular-headed fireplace ex situ. Main living rooms were on first floor. At south end of principal range, room said to have accommodated Mary, Queen of Scots, with Elizabethan panelling to bay window, and C18 chimney-piece. In rear wing, chamfered doorway to garderobe. (Listed Building Report)