Description

RUFFORD HOLMESWOOD LANE
SD 41 NE
7/9 Rufford New Hall

- II

Country house, now hospital. 1760 and 1798; enlarged, and altered. Brick,
formerly stuccoed but now roughcast, with low-pitched hipped slate roof
concealed by a low parapet. Now irregular plan with extensions to rear (north
west) of main block, which has a 5-bay facade to the south east and return
walls of 8 bays on the left and 6 bays on the right. Two storeys,
symmetrical; tetrastyle Ionic portico of unfluted columns protecting a wide
tripartite doorway with segmental fanlight (now glazed doors); sashed windows
with 15 panes at ground floor, 12 panes above, but those to the left mostly
altered or obscured by a fire escape leading down to the left from the second
window and enclosed in translucent corrugated sheet. Left return wall
entirely covered by modern 2-storey verandah with glazed outer screen. Right
return wall of 6 bays like the front but with extended hexastyle Ionic portico
covering 4 bays. At the rear corner of the left return wall an attached
service wing has an Ionic colonnade now with glazed screening on its inner
side, and this colonnade carries through to the interior where it becomes an
Ionic screen distyle in antis at the lower end of the rear of 2 interconnected
rooms on this side (ballroom and ante-room): this room has a modillioned
cornice, and original double doors to the front room, which has a moulded
plaster cornice and simple oval and circular ceiling moulding; otherwise, the
only feature of interest is the former entrance hall, a spacious rectangle
lighted by a domed oval skylight, which has a flying stone staircase and
landing on 3 sides, with wrought iron balusters. History: built by Sir Robert
Hesketh and an enlarged by his grandson, 1798-9, at which date the Hesketh
family abandoned Rufford Old Hall as a residence.

Listing NGR: SD4560716355

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Rufford New Hall at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7377938

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)