Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 30/11/2016

TL 1888
11/40

HOLME
CHURCH STREET (North Side)
Holmewood Hall

(Formerly listed as Holme Wood Hall)

II
Country house. Rebuilt 1873-77 by William Young (1843-1900) in Tudor Gothic style for William Wells (1818-1889) after a fire destroyed the C18 house. Some reused C18 French Rococo details; early C20 additions and alterations for Ashton Fielden (d.1942). Red brick with terracotta and limestone dressings. Plain tiled roofs. Two storeys and attics and one storey and attic. Main north-east - south-west range with two cross ranges projecting equally to garden facade with extensions to north-east of a gatehouse entrance to stable yard. Water tower of four stages to north-east and a garden screen wall and gateway. Infilling between the ranges to north-east c.1915. Garden facade of six bays with contemporary single storey and two storey flat roof infill between the cross ranges. Coped gabled parapets with shaped finials and linking pierced parapets continued above two storeyed canted bay windows to left and right hand. Moulded brick cornices and string at sill height of windows. Ovolo moulded mullioned and transomed hung sash windows with chamfered brick reveals and stone sills. Three five-light windows to single storey range with double transomed and stained glass upper lights. Rectangular plan ridge stacks and three side stacks with recessed panels (patterned terracotta panels to central stack), and moulded brick cornices. Main north-west entrance: two and a half storeys with first floor corbelled oven ground floor, terracotta archway with jambs of three Early English orders supporting moulded four-centred arch in square headed outer arch with moulded label and leaf-stops, pierced quatrefoil spandrels with leaf motifs. Linen fold panelled double doors shaped to four-centred arch. Six light first floor window, dragon finials to gable parapet. Two C20 models of dragons flank doorway, mounted on brick plinths and supporting Wells shields of Arms. Plaque set in wall above five-light flat roofed bay window to right hand of entrance; two limestone panels with inscription WW 1644, 1775, 1873, and with swan and horseshoe inset above. Gatehouse to left hand: dated 1877 on rainwater head; two storeys with central carriageway and two flanking pedestrian entrances in screen walls rising to heights of ground floor; pierced parapets with terminal terracotta ball finials. Semi-octaginal stair turret to right hand with similar lights below eves to oriel window above archway. Archways similar with four-centred heads of five plain orders springing from deeply splayed jambs. Double doors dated 1631, restored, with geometric carved panels and pierced radiating upper panels. The first floor room of the gatehouse was used as a game larder with game racks in situ. Screen wall and entrance to garden: Possibly 1877, shaped gable above two-centred arched doorway with moulded brick label and stops, terracotta plaque above with cherubs, terminating recessed panelled pears with stepped brick and terracotta caps surmounted by terracotta ball finials chamfered plinth, niche to right hand in return of wall.

Interior: details complete to 1873-4 house include a fine staircase and with first newel of a mid C17 staircase with carved panels of fruit. Chimney pieces incorporating mid C17 mannerist details probably from former chimney pieces. C18 French Rococo panelling introduced, complete in one small room to north-east of the Library. C18 overmantel to doorway in drawing room and possibly other similar C18 details in the chimney piece. Gothic style chimney piece to north-east room, and Tudor style panelling, cornices, and other details repeated throughout the house.

Estate Map, 1770 for Wm Wells. H.R.O.
Dunn, C. Hunts Post, July 22 1976
Pridmor, L. Private collection of Photographs and Articles.
British Sugar. Holmewood Hall, 1975
V C H Huntingdonshire, p184

Listing NGR: TL1908288149

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26576454

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

• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)