Ground Floor of Former E Wing

Cadw's description

Location

Attached to the NE of Nerquis Hall, stepped down from and facing the primary entrance drive across the forecourt.

Exterior

A Castellated Gothic gateway with flanking drum towers, built by John Giffard before 1797 and giving access to the service court. Of sandstone ashlar on a narrow plinth. Symmetrical with advanced central entrance with large 4-centred chamfered arch. Key with sculpted head of Christ and returned, moulded label. Flanking sculpted relief plaques and crenellated parapet above. Short sections of flanking wall, also crenellated, though stepped down lead to large flanking drum towers. These with 3 string courses, the upper larger and simply moulded, the lower continued on to the connecting wall sections. Central blind quatrefoils with flanking blind dumb-bell-shaped gun-loops.

Adjoining the S tower to the R, a contemporary section of ashlar walling, advanced and slightly concave in profile, with canted returns. Crenellated parapet as before. 3 niches with depressed-arched heads and moulded labels, stopped with carved heads. Above each of these a blind quatrefoil. The niches and quatrefoils are painted to simulate windows with intersecting tracery and leaded panes. Adjoining to the R of this, and connecting with the house to the E, a further section of similar wall. This was moved to this position in the mid 1960s from its original location to the W of the house.

Behind this screen wall, and adjoining the house to the E, the surviving ground-floor section of the Jacobethan E wing of the house, contemporary with the gateway. This is presently the kitchen and service wing of the house. Flat roof with moulded parapet. Off-centre entrance to E face with deeply recessed late C19 door with 2-part leaded light above. Flanking recessed leaded cross-windows. The S face has two 6-light mullioned and transomed windows and a moulded label-course, connecting with that of the main house. Adjoining this to the S and continuing around in 3 planes to the E, a tall rubble garden wall with plain stone capping. This has a slate-roofed brick and rubble lean-to to the rear, formerly a privy-block. In the centre of the SW facing returned section, a contemporary Gothic entrance with Tudor-arched head, returned, moulded label and chamfered reveals and voussoirs. The W return of the wall is of brick and is staggered in 3 sloped stages. In the centre is a modern opening and then the wall continues W in 2 staggered stages where it terminates.

Reason for designation

An imposing gateway and associated walls which, with the surviving section of the E wing, represent all that remains of Giffards work of the 1790s.

Group value with Nerquis Hall.