Ashton Hall
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Ashton Hall is a largely rebuilt 14th-century mansion in the civil parish of Thurnham,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, England. It is south of the city of Lancaster and is on the east bank of the
River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. Etymology Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic in genesis and deriv ...
. is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...
as a designated Grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, and is now owned by Lancaster Golf Club.


History

In the 13th century, the lordship of the Manor was held by the De Coucy family and from them passed to John de Coupland. The original hall dates from the late 14th century. It was probably completed in 1381, built by Edmund Lawrence. It then passed by marriage to the Butlers of Radcliffe and from them to the Gerards of Bromley. In 1698 the estate was acquired by
James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton Lieutenant General James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton and 1st Duke of Brandon (11 April 1658 – 15 November 1712) was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician. Hamilton was a major investor in the failed Darien Scheme, which cost many of ...
, on his second marriage to the Gerard heiress Elizabeth Gerard. He fought a famous duel in 1712 with Lord Mohun over the right of ownership of
Gawthorpe Hall Gawthorpe Hall is an Elizabethan country house on the banks of the River Calder, in Ightenhill, a civil parish in the Borough of Burnley, Lancashire, England. Its estate extends into Padiham, with the Stockbridge Drive entrance situated ther ...
and was fatally stabbed by General Macartney, Mohun's second. His widow lived for another 32 years, spending most of her time at the Hall. In 1853, the hall was sold by the Dukes of Hamilton to Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie of the wealthy Starkie family of
Huntroyde Hall Huntroyde Hall is a grade II listed, 16th-century house in the civil parish of Simonstone, Lancashire, Simonstone in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. Its estate, Huntroyde Demesne (known locally as 'Huntroyde'), once exten ...
and in 1856 was largely rebuilt to a design by William Le Gendre Starkie. The only part of the 14th century structure that still remains is the tower that now forms the southern wing of the hall. After Le Gendre Starkie's death Ashton passed to his younger son, John Piers Chamberlain Starkie who passed it in turn to his eldest son Edward Arthur Le Gendre Starkie. He sold it in 1884 to James Williamson, the linoleum manufacturer, who owned the hall until his death in 1930, but lived elsewhere. Williamson was
High Sheriff of Lancashire The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanca ...
for 1885 and on his elevation to the peerage took his title Baron Ashton of Ashton. After his death in 1931 the major portion of the estate was purchased by William Pye and his sons. Ashton Hall is now owned by Lancaster Golf Club and functions as the clubhouse, with the surrounding land having been turned into a
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
in 1932. The course was designed by renowned golf course architect James Braid.


Architecture

Ashton Hall is constructed of red and grey
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
, with roofs of
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
. Its plan is unusual, with towers set diagonally. The 19th-century building was built in the
Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
of grey sandstone. The rectangular 14th-century tower is of red sandstone; it has angle-towers and a
crenellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
. The grounds of the hall have a number of other buildings. There is a sandstone
ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mos ...
which dates from around 1600. It was extended in the 19th century. The gatehouse has a segmented arch with
Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...
columns. An ice house of sandstone rubble and brick stands to the north-west of the hall. This probably dates from the 19th century. There is a building to the west of the hall that was formerly a stable block and has been converted into a house. Dating from the 17th century, it is a two-storey building of sandstone rubble. On 1 August 1952, Ashton Hall was designated a Grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. The Grade I designation—the highest of the three grades—is for buildings "of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important". The gatehouse and the former stable block have received separate Grade II* designations. The ice house, an arched conduit mouth, a
mounting block A mounting block, horse block, carriage stone, or in Scots a loupin'-on stane is an assistance for mounting and dismounting a horse or cart. Usage and locations Mounting blocks were especially useful for women riding sidesaddle or pillion, that ...
and the courtyard walls are listed at Grade II.


See also

*
Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire This is a list of Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire, England. In the United Kingdom, the term "listed building" refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural signifi ...
*
Listed buildings in Thurnham, Lancashire Thurnham is a civil parish in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It contains 37 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, three are listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, three are a ...
*
Ashton Hall railway station Ashton Hall railway station was a private halt in Lancashire, England. Located on the Glasson Dock branch line, it was opened to serve Ashton Hall, the home of Lord Ashton, a local businessman. The house is now Lancaster Golf Club. History ...


References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * *


External links

*
Lancaster Golf Club
current occupiers {{Authority control Houses completed in the 14th century Houses completed in 1856 Buildings and structures in the City of Lancaster Country houses in Lancashire Gothic Revival architecture in Lancashire Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire Grade I listed houses