Belmont Hall, Cheshire
Encyclopedia
Belmont Hall, Cheshire, is a country house to the northwest of the village of Great Budworth
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building. The house stands to the north of the A559 road. It is now partly occupied by Cransley School
.
, although altered during construction. It is built in brown brick and has a slate hipped roof
. The entrance façade is symmetrical with seven bays
and three storeys. It has a central three-bay pediment
and two two-storey bay window
s. The doorway also has a pediment. On each side of the house is a three-bay wing at right angles to the house. Each wing is joined to the house by a five-bay wall which includes a central pedimented archway. The rear of the house is plain. The interior has "quite sumptuous and exceptionally delicate plaster decoration in the Rococo
mode".
It has been in the continual ownership of the Leigh family for the past 200 years. The house is let to the school, and the grounds include a Camping and Caravanning Club
registered site.
Great Budworth
Great Budworth is a civil parish and village, approximately north of Northwich, England, within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It lies off the A559 road, east of Comberbach, northwest of Higher Marston and southeast of Budworth Heath...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building. The house stands to the north of the A559 road. It is now partly occupied by Cransley School
Cransley School
Cransley School is an independent day school in Great Budworth, near to the town of Northwich, Cheshire, England. The school educates boys between the ages of 3 and 11, and girls between the ages of 3 and 16....
.
History and architecture
The house was built in 1755, to a design by James GibbsJames Gibbs
James Gibbs was one of Britain's most influential architects. Born in Scotland, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England...
, although altered during construction. It is built in brown brick and has a slate hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
. The entrance façade is symmetrical with seven bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
and three storeys. It has a central three-bay pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
and two two-storey bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
s. The doorway also has a pediment. On each side of the house is a three-bay wing at right angles to the house. Each wing is joined to the house by a five-bay wall which includes a central pedimented archway. The rear of the house is plain. The interior has "quite sumptuous and exceptionally delicate plaster decoration in the Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
mode".
It has been in the continual ownership of the Leigh family for the past 200 years. The house is let to the school, and the grounds include a Camping and Caravanning Club
Camping and Caravanning Club
The Camping and Caravanning Club is a United Kingdom not-for-profit organisation involved with all aspects of camping.-History:The Camping and Caravanning Club started in 1901 as the Association of Cycle Campers. Thomas Hiram Holding was one of the founders and is considered by many to be the...
registered site.