Description

TM 13 SE STUTTON off LOWER STREET
(south side)

5/81 Crowe Hall
22/2/55

GV II*

House. Said to have been built circa 1605 for a member of the Bowes family, whose
arms are carved on some panelling. The building was completely redesigned and
altered circa 1824-26 for George Reade by Richard Beales of Lawford, Essex, whose
various plans to convert the house to the Gothic style are retained by the present
owner. The house is approached from the north by a long drive leading through a
gateway in a walled garden, qv 5/82. The south face looks out over the River Stour.
The house is stuccoed, crenellated and buttressed. Roofs, red plain tiles. North
face: The lower, left range of 2 storeys, crenellated with crenellated polygonal
buttresses to left and left of porch. Crenellated parapet verge to left return,
octagonal chimneystack to apex. The taller, 3-storey right range has a roof hipped
to right, crenellated parapet verge to left. Chimneystack with 4 attached octagonal
shafts. Crenellated with crenellated polygonal buttresses to right and left.
Plinth. 2:3:2 window range of small paned vertically sliding sashes, those to
ground floor left and ground and first floor right with labels over. The porch
is sited in front of the 3 centre bays. It is crenellated with central pediment
embellished by a shield of arms, dated 1605. Arcade of three 4-centred arches,
similar arches to returns. The inner doorway, moulded 4-centred head, 2 attached
jamb shafts with moulded capitals and bases, flanking windows. South face:-
Asymmetrical, of various levels. Parapet verge to left gable, crenellated with
band under elsewhere. Polygonal buttresses with crocketed finials to most angles,
those to left gable with 4-centred heads under a square head and label, blocked
small window with similar head to attic. The adjacent bay to east (right) of 2
storeys, each with a similar window. 2-storey, 5-angled drawing room bay, the first
floor central and flanking bays each with a window of 3 tall trefoiled ogee lights,
vertical tracery over, under square heads with labels, above the labels are
decorated panels. There is a small window to ground floor of inner left bay. Below
the central window is a crenellated porch with polygonal panelled angle buttresses,
moulded finials, 4-centred archway. Porch interior, stone floor, moulded cornice,
door with 4-centred head, dentilled and moulded lower panels, glazed above. Set
back to east (left) of the bay is a raised turret with a crenellated block with
2-light windows facing south, set in the re-entrant angle of the right wing. First
floor of right wing, 2-light window under square head and label, similar French
doors below. Internally the decoration remains almost intact, with original
furnishings, wallpapers, chandeliers etc, with the exception of the conversion of
the drawing room and billiard room into a single long living room, when the former
breakfast room was converted into a billard room by adding a bow window (to west
return). The panelled hall has panelled doors with moulded surrounds and a fine
oval cantilevered staircase with wreathed handrail and stick balusters. Oval light
over. Wall alcove to stairs. Bowed door to landing. 1898 William Morris wallpaper.
There are several plastered ceilings, the 2 most noteworthy are in the principal
bedroom and the upper drawing room. The former is C17 in high relief, said to be
plaster on cork, oval centre-piece of swags interspersed with bearded faces, small
winged angels in outer corners, to each side are elongated figures of angels, each
with one arm raised and holding a wreath, border of swags, moulded cornice.
Pilasters with moulded capitals and bases. It has been suggested that the ceiling
was executed by the same craftsman who decorated William Sparrow's house (The
Ancient House), Ipswich. The upper drawing room fills the whole of the angled bay
south wing, the long windows opening onto the roof of the south porch. The frieze
is elaborately decorated, the ceiling with fan tracery and pendants in the style
of Henry VII's Chapel at Westminster Abbey. There is a fine Gothic fire surround
of carved wood with its original cast iron grate and rail, there is also a Gothic
surround to the panelled 4-centre arched door. An original chandelier is suspended
from the centre ceiling pendant. Off the principal bedroom is a bathroom with
Art Deco mosaics. Another bedroom has a moulded plaster ceiling and fireplace with
panelled overmantel. The oval dining room with moulded frieze and crockets to
barrel vaulted ceiling retains its claret coloured wallpaper and large stone Gothic
fireplace. Flanking the entrance door on either side are the original mahogany
sideboards that fit the curve of the room, table and chairs also original. Panelled
doors with moulded surrounds. The former billiard and smoking room now separated
by support columns with moulded capitals and bases. Stone 4-centre arched fireplace,
Delft tiles to fireback, panel and arcaded overmantel with carved faces.
Crowe Hall is one of the 6 Manors of Stutton.
N Pevsner, 'Suffolk', 1961. E Sandon, 'Suffolk Houses', 1984. 'Country Life',
26.12.1957.

Listing NGR: TM1528034214

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17533158

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)