Building record 234/1 - Checkley Hall and garden, Checkley Lane

<1> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 5, 13 (Report). SCH1934.

Checkley Hall, dated 1694 with some alterations. Substantial three-storey double pile brick house. Formally symmetrical five-bay front, originally with hipped roof. Now has sashes in ground floor, cross windows in first floor and two light casements in top storey. Date and initials TDR are formed by headers in the brickwork. Interior has good oak stair with square newels and barleysugar balusters and back stair splat balusters in serpentine form. Good room to rear left with bolection moulded panelling . Boundary walls and gatepiers of contemporary front garden survive

<2> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 57091 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Small country house. Dated 169? and altered in the late C18 or early C19. Red English bond brick with alterations in English garden wall bond brick with a plain tile roof. Three storeys. Entrance front: five bays symmetrically disposed. Central ground floor doorway with a moulded, hipped ashlar surround above a flight of five C20 steps. Between the ground and first floor is a string course of moulded brick which is angled upwards at the centre to meet the top of the doorcase. To either side are windows of 4 x 4 sash panes with flat arched heads. These windows have stone sills of C19 date and appear to have been deepened. To the first floor are five 2-light casement windows with flat arched heads. The walling to the third floor is of English garden wall bond brickwork and dates from the C18 alterations at which time the hipped roof was altered to a gable ended one of shallow pitch. Five windows with flat arched heads, the second and fourth from the right now blocked, the rest with 2-light casement windows. Two massive chimney stacks to right and left of the ridge with sunken round-arched panels to each side. Left hand gable end has 5 bays symmetrically disposed having a central doorway with cambered head to the ground floor to either side of which are window openings with flat arched heads, the second and fourth from right of which are now blocked. The lateral windows have lowered sills and are now of 4 x 4 sash panes with flat arched heads. Moulded brick string course between floors. Five window openings to the first floor the second from right now blocked the rest with 2-light casement windows. Below the central windows are the initials T D R formed of headers set in the brickwork. The second floor also has five window openings of which the central 3 are now blocked and the lateral 2 contain 2-light sash windows. Brick band dividing second floor from gable. The left hand gable end is now largely obscured by the later addition of a cottage which abuts the house (not included in item). Below the central first floor window which is blocked, is the partially decipherable date 169 which is formed of headers. Rear: mezzanine window of 3 casement lights cutting through the band between the ground and first floors. Above this was a similar first floor window which is now blocked. To the ground and first floors are 2 lateral 2-light casement windows and the second floor has similar windows to the centre and left. To the left is a projecting wing which abuts the corner of the house. Interior: Lobby to side door and one ground floor room have bolection moulded panelling of rectangular panels divided by a chair rail. The room has a fireplace with bolection moulded ashlar chimney piece and 2 bolection moulded panels to the overmantel. The doors to this room also have 2 rectangular bolection moulder panels and H hinges. Cyma moulded cornices to both rooms. Early C17 run-through panelling to the hallway probably bought from elsewhere. The staircase is of 4 flights with open well and closed string. The newel posts are rectangular and panelled and the balusters are of barley sugar form with a massive ramped bannister. One of the first floor rooms has a bolection moulded fire surround similar to that seen on the ground floor, and a similar, smaller fire surround to an adjacent dressing room. One second floor room has an ashlar fire surround with a moulded, lugged frame above which is a cavetto moulding supporting a deeply projecting pediment. The back stairs are of 6 close stringed flights and have splat balusters of serpentine form.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, White J 1961 SJ74NW1 (Index). SCH2487.

"The house appears to be unaltered except for a modern doorway and modern additions to the North side. These have covered up the last figure of a date formed in the brickwork which now reads 169…. No trace was found of an earlier house in the vicinity."

<4> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, 3/514 1882 (Book). SCH1389.

Ormerod records a Checkley Hall in inquisition 1610

<5> White F, 1860, White's Directory (Book). SCH3702.

<6> Map collection, DEO/ (Book). SCH2098.

Early C18 plan showing layout of hall and gardens survives in Egerton papers, County Record Office

<7> de Figueiredo P & Treuherz J, 1988, Cheshire Country Houses, p.224 (Book). SCH785.

An attractive five-bay symmetrical brick house built 1694 by the Delves family of Doddington to replace a timber framed hall. Originally with a hipped roof as at Weston Hall, the attic was rebuilt and the house now has 2 1/2 storeys, with sash windows on the ground floor, but still cross windos above. Infromt is a walled forecourt entered through stone gate piers with ball finials

<7> Cheshire Gardens Trust, 2025, Cheshire Gardens Trust Research and Recording Short Report - Cheshire East, Checkley Hall (Unpublished Report). SCH9756.

(Checkley Hall has a surviving) forecourt garden with central path leading to the East elevation.