Johnby Hall
| Johnby Hall | |
| Cumberland | |
|---|---|
 Johnby Hall | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NY4341832758 |
| Location: | 54°41’12"N, 2°52’45"W |
| Village: | Johnby |
| History | |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Henry Howard |
| Website: | www.johnbyhall.co.uk |
A sixteenth-century manor house built onto a fourteenth-century pele tower in Johnby, a mile north of Greystoke, in Cumberland. It was bought by the Duke of Norfolk, of nearby Greystoke Castle, in 1783 and has remained in the Howard family ever since.
The house is Grade II* listed.[1]
History and features
The house was built probably in the late fourteenth century as a fortified house, and received additions in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It has thick sandstone rubble walls of pink sandstone, on chamfered plinth. The original fourteenth century pele tower is a three-storey tower rectangular in section, to which a smaller fifteenth century three-storey tower has been added, the two joined by a short passageway.
The façade has a projecting right full-height stair turret which has on its left return wall a stone door architrave under a shaped hood, which is carried up and around a large panel inscribed "WILLIAM MUSGRAVE, ISABEL MATENDALE 1583". The façade today has off-centre door in nineteenth century surround, replacing the 1747 doorway, which is now a window.
There is a great amount of interest in the house, including a Tudor-arched doorway in the kitchen wing under a terracotta panel of a horseman, and further Tudor-arched doorways elsewhere.
Around 1900, the house was restored, and had some arts-and-crafts features added.
The house today
Johby Hall remains in the ownership of the Howard family, and provided suites for bed and breakfast accommodation.
The informal gardens include a seventeenth-century walled orchard and the interesting remains of an eighteenth-century water garden; free range chickens, rare breed pigs and red squirrels all roam within the grounds.
Outside links
References
- Taylor, W.M.: 'Old Manorial Halls of Westmorland & Cumberland' (1892) pp.294-304
- Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian Archaeological Society, new series, xxxii, pp. 85-103.
- ↑ NHLE|1326690|Johnby Hall}}