Building record 798/1 - Whatcroft Hall

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 57211 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Mansion, late eighteenth century, but with slightly earlier Garden Front. Red brick, in Flemish Bond, with slate hipped roof. Two storeys, six bays with five-bay Garden Front. The Entrance Front has full height projecting corner pilasters with stone ogee finials at roof level. Pair of three-panel doors in pilastered doorcase with festoon and foliage frieze arid dentil pediment. Recessed sashes with glazing bars, stone sills and flat, slightly cambered, arches. Moulded eaves gutter. The Garden Front (south-west) has a brick first floor band, four French Windows and sashes with exposed weight boxes. At the rear (south-east) there is a fully glazed door in pilastered and pedimented doorcase, also sash windows. In the north-east elevation there is a six-panel door, with radial bar fanlight, also sashes with exposed weight boxes and flat arches. At roof level there is a copper-covered ogee Cupola, with weather vane, mounted on a high standing drum which contains four two- light Gothick windows. Lead hips and plain stack at external walls.

Interior: A stone spiral staircase, with curtail step, high quality metal trellis balustrade and hardwood wreathed handrail occupies a cylindrical-well below the cupola. The cupola drum has a Vitruvian scroll band, at its base, and an openwork roll cornice and cove at the base of the cupola. There are fan-like spandrels, also radiating ribs to a central, foliage motif ceiling rose which supports a brass chandelier. The Entrance Hall has a ceiling divided into large and small intersecting squares and an ornate fireplace with carved architraves, floral frieze and egg and dart cornice. The north-west room has panelled linings to the sashes, a fireplace with festoon and urn features, and a built-up plaster cornice. The north-east room has a fireplace with garlands, console blocks and a dentil cornice. There is a plaster ceiling cornice based on egg and darts with fruits in the ceiling section. There are a number of six-panel doors throughout the building.

<2> Higham N J, 1984-9, Professor Nick Higham's Aerial Photographs, NJH 3487/8-11 (Aerial Photograph). SCH7659.

<3> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Vol.III p.261 (Book). SCH1389.

Ormerod states that the house was built around 1780 and enlarged around 1817.

<4> Cheshire Gardens Trust, 2011 onwards, Research and Recording Report, Whatcroft Hall (2017) p.2-4 (Report). SCH6655.

Built in 1780, the hall was originally a smaller house which faced south and overlooked wide lawns towards a large circular moat enclosing an island. In 1807 the Hall was enlarged and the grounds improved for James Topping. The enlargement included a new front and a dome at the centre of the house over a spiral staircase. There was a later extension adding bay windows, a loggia and a service wing. In 1938 the extension was removed when the house was reduced in size for Mrs Florence Flemming Stirling.

<5> de Figueiredo P & Treuherz J, 1988, Cheshire Country Houses, p.280 (Book). SCH785.

<6> Hartwell C, Hyde M, Hubbard E & Pevsner N, 2011, The Buildings of England: Cheshire (2011 revision), p.328 (Book). SCH7059.

Built in 1780 and enlarged 1807. The dome and southern front of the house date from 1807.