Upton Hall (Quinton House School), Upton, West Northamptonshire

Description

In the entry for:

SP 7160
30/529
Upton Hall (Quinton
House School) (formerly
listed as Quinton
House School)
Upton

The address and description shall be amended to read:
7159 NE UPTON A45
(south side)
4/3 Upton Hall (Quinton
House School)
03/05/68 (formerly listed as
Quinton House School)
GV

Country house, now school. Mid C18 with late C15/early C16 origins. Alterations
and additions of c 1809. Other late C19 alterations. Restored 1985. Red brick
with some flared headers, ironstone dressings, slate and plain tile roofs, brick
internal stacks. Complex plan. 3-storey, 11-window range. Central 8-panel
door with painted pilastered stone surround with pediment. 12-pane sash windows
to ground and first floors with stone sills and keyblocked stone lintels. 6-pane
attic floor windows with similar sills and heads. Central bay breaks forward
slightly. Ground and first floor windows either side flank round-arched niches
with statues of Seasons of artificial stone probably Cl9. 2-window left end
bay breaks forward. That to right extended forward 1809 by 3 bays. Stone plinth,
first floor storey band, moulded stone cornice, moulded stone-coped parapet
and raised stone quoins to angles. Projecting wing to right has rainwater heads
with initials TS WS and dated 1809 to north. Parapet on this side has swept
up ends. Irregular kitchen wing to rear right. 3-bay, 2-storey-and-attic recessed
right side elevation with back door and porch flanked by 12-pane sash windows,
similar windows to first floor either side of a 24-pane sash, all with stone
lintels and keyblocks. Hipped roof dormers with 2-light leaded windows. Left
side elevation has Cl9 French windows and sash windows, all with cemented wood
lintels. Rear elevation of main range has canted single-storey bay window with
Gothick sashes, and similar sashes to ground and first floors in bricked-up
openings of former stone mullion windows. Attic gables, that to left with quatre-
foil window, that to right with leaded 1-light windows with moulded stone surrounds
flanking stone end stack. Interior: original late c15/early C16 4-bay hall
roof survives above present hall ceiling. Moulded arch-braced collar trusses
with 5-light ogee-arched divisions on collar and intermediate chamfered arch-braced
collar trusses with side struts. 4 tiers of moulded wind-braced purlins, quatre-
foil wind-bracing to top tier. 2-bay addition to service end with chamfered
arch-braced collar trusses with side struts to prinicpal rafters and 3 tiers
of wind-braced purlins. 4-light gable window survives internally at other end
with hollow-chamfered stone mullions partly broken away, arched heads with cut
spandrels and hood mould. Cross-wing roof beyond has collar trusses and 2 tiers
of wind-braced purlins and attic room with Tudor-arched stone fireplace with
cut spandrels. Plaster-vaulted cross passage in position of original screens
passage. Fine plasterwork by Guiseppe Artari in sitting room to right of passage
and hall. Sitting room has plasterwork ceiling in two compartments and blank
Plaster frames to walls with shell apron swags and ornamental plasterwork drops
either side of fireplace and window opposite.
2-storey hall has painted stone chimneypiece to centre of back wall with half
pilasters, pulvinated frieze with blank central tablet and broken segmental
pediment framing plaster bust of Flora, flanked by plaster putti reclining on
pediment and holding a sheaf of corn and a bunch of grapes to left and right
respectively. 6-panel doors flank fireplace and have eared surrounds with
pulvinated frieze and pediment. End walls have 3-bay blank round-arched arcades,
the centre bays framing 6-panel double-leaf doors with cartouches above. Either
side are plaster medallions with busts in low relief of Mercury and Diana (right)
and Mars and Minerva (left). Niche opposite fireplace frames plaster life-size
statue of Apollo with lyre, signed on left side of plinth JOSEPH ATARI and
inscribed on right side FE.AN. 1737. 6-panel double-leaf door above right end
door with eared surround and wrought-iron balcony. Portraits, mostly of members
of Samwell family, all oil on canvas and in architectural frames complete the
decoration of the walls, including a large conversation piece over statue of
Apollo with Sir Thomas Samwell, his son Thomas and 3 daughters. Compartmented
plaster ceiling in style of Inigo Jones with central octagonal compartment and
guilloche to divisions. 'Monks' room behind hall has Gothick doors with triple-
shafted surrounds and similar triple shafts to veined marble chimneypiece.
Coloured glass to upper lights of Gothick sashes with painted glass shields.
Veined marble bolection-moulded fireplace surround in adjacent room with late
C18 painted wood surround. Open well staircase from ground floor to attic with
barley-sugar balusters. Fielded panelling to staff-room. High beamed ceiling
to kitchen.
(Buildings of England, Northants, 1973, p358)

------------------------------------

Upton Hall
1.
5327
(Quinton House School)
(formerly listed as
Quinton House School)
Upton
SP 7160 30/529 3.5.68
I
2.
Country house of mainly C18 and early C19 appearance. Incorporates structure, including
hall roof truss, of C15 house for Knightley family, owners from 1419. South west
wing early C17 for Samwell family, owners from 1600. Main block remodelled mid
C18: hall statue of Apollo, dated 1737, by Giuseppe Artari; rainwater head on east
1748.
East entrance front: stone dressed red brick, some grey headers. Roof parapet.
3 storeys, top floor may be later addition. Plinth, first floor band, second floor
cornice. L plan main block with projection on right, slight projections on left
and near centre. 2:3:1:3:2 sash windows, all with stone sills, vousoirs and keys;
glazing bars (heavy on first floor), except to ground floor on right. Doric door
surround with pilasters, pediment, 6 fielded 2 glazed panel door. Semi-circular
round arched niches with archivolts, 1 either side of 3 central windows on ground
floor and first floor, each with statue of the Seasons circa 1790. Projecting wing
on right has rainwater head dated 1809 with initials TSWS. First floor niche in
centre of south side.
Main south front of 3 windows remodelled and cement rendered circa 1810-20, now
with rendering removed, rubble walling exposed. 2 storeys. Gabled west front with
pointed arched windows. Early west wing remodelled late C18 or early C19.
Interior: very fine 2 storey hall with elaborate plasterwork to walls and ceiling
including figures, bas reliefs in medallions, dummy arcades; heavy ornate ceiling
panels with running fret, guilloche and caisson patterns; wrought iron balcony grille.
Later C17 staircase.

Listing NGR: SP7165660210

External Links

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.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Upton Hall (Quinton House School)

A Grade I Listed Building in Upton, West Northamptonshire

Coordinates

Description

External Links

Recommended Books