Lutterell Hall, West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire

Summary

Parish Hall built in 1929 to the designs of Alfred John Thraves.

Description

Parish Hall built in 1929 to the designs of Alfred John Thraves.

PLAN: the building has an approximately rectangular plan and is located on the corner of Church Drive and Bridgford Road.

MATERIALS: red brick laid in English bond with dressings of red and plum brick and tile-creasing. Roof covering of plain red clay tiles.

EXTERIOR: the hall is in a distinctive late Arts and Crafts style. It has one and a half storeys under a roof with sprocketed eaves which sweeps down to ground-floor level and is half-hipped at the gable ends where the wide eaves overhang. At the gable end of the principal north elevation the kneelers are formed of tile creasing, as is the tumbling in along the verges. A central spire rises from the ridge on a tapered tile-clad base surmounted by a flared roof covered in copper fish-scale tiles. The roof is pierced by five wedge dormer windows, positioned wholly within the roof space, with tile-clad sides and two-light casements with leaded lights. Five dormers light the hall on the long east elevation and three on the west elevation. The east elevation is divided into seven bays by shallow pilasters, each lit by wide segmental arch windows with brick arches of two rows of headers and tile sills, except for the last bay which is lit by a two-light stone mullion in a blocked surround. The windows are lead imitation uPVC, as are those on the ground floor throughout the building.

The north elevation is dominated by a tall, wide semicircular arch doorway with three orders of brick and an outer ring of tile creasing. The double doors are each divided into four vertical panels by fillets which overlay the scrolled strap hinges. The top of the doors are pierced by four narrow glazed panels with decorative leaded lights. The tympanum is clad in hammered metalwork bearing an oval with the figure of St Giles in shallow relief and a frieze with ‘PARISH HALL’ flanked by lions’ heads. To the left, a copper plaque records in an incised artistic font the date when the foundation stone was laid and the names of those present. Above the doorway a five-light stone mullion window with blocked jambs lights the council chamber. The stone sill is continued either side by tile creasing which forms a band across the façade. Between the door and window, twelve vertical panels of ridge-tile creasing create a chevron pattern. The door is flanked by single-light windows in blocked stone surrounds with elongated keystones of tile creasing.

Adjoining the right hand side is a single-storey classroom under a hipped roof with sprocketed eaves. This is lit by a canted bay with multi-paned windows which rises above the roof line of the main range and is embellished along the eaves by bands of tile creasing and vertical brick laid on edge. The right return is lit by two two-light casements with flat brick arches and tile sills. In between is a projecting chimney breast with a particularly tall stack. To the right, on the west elevation of the main hall, is a recessed entrance under a segmental brick arch which has a replaced door. This is followed by a large six-light window and then a single-storey flat-roofed extension, added sometime later in the C20 to provide kitchen facilities.

INTERIOR: this survives near to its original condition with decorative plasterwork and joinery of oak and Columbian pine, although some of the doors have been replaced. The front door opens into the small porch which has applied timber studs and rails to the walls, and a tiled floor. This leads through double doors of vertical panels with fillets and corner blocks to the crush hall which is similar to the porch except the studs are also braced. On either side are the lavatories which have been modernised but retain pairs of moulded door surrounds. The main hall is a large space with a barrel vaulted ceiling, each bay defined by parallel bands of plasterwork in a foliate design edged by a cable moulding. The side aisles are embellished by a band of similar plasterwork and are supported by square columns. A series of ventilation panels along the ceiling is covered in latticework and framed by plasterwork with an acanthus leaf and grape design. The low stage at the far end has a square panelled front and a pierced band of geometric design above. The moulded dado rail, cast-iron radiators, plain skirting and narrow floorboards all remain, as does a small cloakroom with coat pegs at the north end.

There are three wide segmental arch openings on the west side of the hall. The first two are open and lead into what is labelled on the original plan as the kitchen but is now used as a bar area. Beyond this to the south is the new kitchen extension. The third opening leads through a door (not the original), flanked by windows with leaded lights, to the anteroom of the classroom. This has a canted ceiling with braced tie beams and a latticed ventilation panel with a decorative plasterwork border. The plain wooden fireplace bears a brass memorial plaque to Jenny Hargreaves, the wife of the rector, who died in 1925. The grate may survive but has been boarded over.

A closed-well stair between the crush hall and main hall has a moulded wall-mounted handrail and a grid banister with a square moulded newel post and urn finial. It leads up to the council chamber which has an inserted ceiling and five internal windows with leaded lights overlooking the hall.

History

Lutterell Hall was built in 1929 to the designs of Alfred John Thraves FRIBA (1888-1953), a well-known regional architect who specialised in cinema design. He was articled to John Lamb in Nottingham before establishing his own practice in 1910 in Whitefriars House, Nottingham. Thraves was in partnership with Henry Hardwick Dawson until 1927 and with his son Lionel Alfred Thraves from 1937. Throughout the 1920s he worked in the late Arts and Crafts tradition and developed a modernist art-deco style in the 1930s when the majority of his cinemas were built.

Lutterell Hall was built as the new parish hall opposite the Grade II listed Church of St Giles (heavily rebuilt by T C Hine in 1872) on land belonging to the rectory. It cost £5,000 and was intended to seat 500 people. The contractors were Messrs W and J Simons of West Bridgford. The foundation stone was laid on 9 February 1929 by William Goodacre Player. W G Player was the son of John Player, who established John Player & Sons, the Nottingham-based tobacco and cigarette manufacturer. W G Player and his brother, J D Player took over the family firm in 1893. Lutterell Hall was originally called St Giles’ Parish Hall and subsequently West Bridgford Community Hall before becoming known as Lutterell Hall around 2010. This was the name of the Lords of the Manor from at least 1194 to 1418 when the male line became extinct. Lutterell Hall has been in use as a parish hall from its opening to the present day. It played an important role in the community during the Second World War when it was designated as an official First Aid Post.

The original plans for the hall, approved on 25 May 1928, all survive. They show the front door opening into the porch with ladies’ lavatories to the right and gentlemen’s to the left. The porch leads into the crush hall and then the main hall beyond, which has a stage along the rear wall. A council chamber is above. Along the west side is a large classroom and a kitchen, followed by a series of classrooms shown in dotted lines, appearing to indicate that these could be added at a later date. Instead, a flat-roofed extension was built later on in the C20, probably around the time the ground-floor windows were replaced with uPVC. Refurbishments to the building in 2010 included a new kitchen, lavatories and fire doors.

Reasons for Listing

Lutterell Hall, a Parish Hall built in 1929 to the designs of Alfred John Thraves, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* it is a particularly good example of this building type in terms of its design quality and distinctive composition;

* it demonstrates an accomplished use of materials, particularly notable in the entrance front in which the combination of red brick, tile creasing and metalwork creates a finely executed pattern of textural richness;

* it has a simple internal treatment, relying for effect on the graceful curve of the barrel vaulted ceiling divided into bays by parallel bands of plasterwork in a foliate design, which distinguishes it from the more standard form and decoration typical of most parish or village halls;

* it has been subject to some modifications but overall it remains close to its original state with the plan form, plasterwork, principal doors, floorboards and schoolroom fireplace all intact.

Group value:

* it has a historic and visual relationship with the Grade II listed Church of St Giles which accords it strong group value.

External Links

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