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Description: | Various houses have been built and demolished on different sites in the park. The present hall and adjacent mid 20th century college buildings were designed by William Burn in 1841 to 1843 for Chris Turnor. {1}
Stoke Rochford Hall is a Grade I listed former country house which is now a residential trade union centre. It was built in a Jacobethan style in 1841 to 1845 by William Burn for Sir Christopher Turnor. The building was constructed of pecked ashlar and has smooth ashlar quoins and dressings, Welsh slate roofs and numerous tall octagonal grouped stacks. The hall has an irregular L-plan comprising a central two storey plus attics. To the left and at right angles of the hall is a more restrained service wing and to the right is a single storey orangery. The main doorway is contained in an advanced two storey porch which has an elaborate strapwork gable with obelisks, a broken segmental pediment and a lion.
The central hall has Jacobean style panelling with segmental broken pedimented overdoors. The fireplace has an elaborate pedimented stone overmantle with strapwork flanked by classical demi figures. To the left there are three full height arches which provide access to the service range beyond. The coffered ceiling has strapwork plaster cartouches and a cornice. The library at the upper end of the hall has two elaborately carved fireplaces with mirrors over and carved surrounds. The walls are shelved and the ceiling has rich strap and scrollwork with pendants. The fittings of the Turnor Room are in the Louis Quinze style with a white marble fireplace and four large mirrors which have gilded Roccoco surrounds. At the east end of the room double panelled folded doors lead to the Rochford Room, which is in a similar style retaining two mirrors and a white fireplace. In the former Music Room there is a large chimney piece in black and white marble. The grand stair has moulded newels and a handrail originally with semi-circular arched pierced balusters with panelled underside having one curved section. In c.1900 some sections of the original balustrades were replaced by pierced fretwork painted wooden panels depicting scenes from a Grand Tour made by Christopher Turnor the then owner of the house. The principal corridor upstairs has bolection moulded dado panelling. The service range is generally restrained but has plaster ceiling decorations in the 17th century vernacular manner. Beneath the central block is a narrow gauge railway with a square track layout, contained in brick vaulted tunnels. The rails and turntable survive and this was used to take coals to the principal rooms. There is also a brick vaulted wine cellar. {3} | Subjects: | Building | Temporal: | 1841 - 2050 | Source: | Lincolnshire County Council | Identifier: | http://www.lincstothepast.com/Records/Re... | Go to resource |
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