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Summary

The present Nocton Hall is an 1841 rebuild of the previous hall on the site, which may have its origins in the medieval period.

Full description

The present Nocton Hall is a rebuild of the previous hall on the site, which burned down in 1834. The Hall was rebuilt in a Tudor (or Elizabethan Revival) style in 1841, for the first Earl of Ripon by William Shearburn. The previous hall was built by Sir William Ellys in the late 17th century. It was E-shaped with large projecting wings and turrets. It had formal gardens laid out in a style fashionable for the time. Sketches of the old hall before and after the fire and a plan drawn immediately after the fire survive.
It is suggested that the late 17th century hall was itself a remodelling of an earlier house on the site, the greater part of which was built in the early to mid 16th century, perhaps by Thomas Wymbishe or the Townley family. An inventory of 1628 describes a large manor house with four towers, a long gallery and a chamber overlooking the churchyard. It is also suggested that many of the features of this building survived Ellys's remodelling of the late 17th century. This is most likely the residence owned by Sir Henry Stanley in the mid to late 16th century. It is further argued that the layout of the rooms and staircase turrets with external openings at ground floor level suggest a medieval courtyard house with either an east range, or a gatehouse and screen wall on that side. The hall was altered again in about 1805 by the fourth Earl of Buckinghamshire.
The present hall is of two-and-a-half storeys on basements. It is built of ashlar stone with ashlar dressings, and features slate ridge roofs, with clusters of octagonal moulded stacks. The present hall incorporates much of the foundations of the older hall, although the new hall is more compact. The outline of the old hall can be traced beneath the new one. The avenue of trees which leads up to the entrance of the new hall would have lined up with one of the main entrances in the west wing of the old hall. A banqueting house of the old hall survives to the south-west of the hall (see MLI81865).
The hall more recently served as an RAF hospital. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5}{6}{7}

A cast iron fireback, dated 1588, is located at Nocton Hall. It is presumably from the earlier house. {8}

The hall was severely damaged in a fire in October 2004, which destroyed most of the interior. {9}

Nocton Hall was assessed for delisting in February 2024. Although severely damaged by fire in 2004, the surviving elements of the building were deemed to be of a high architectural quality, and the form and context of the building remained clearly legible. It was determined that the building still remained of special architectural and historic interest.
The present Nocton Hall was built in 1841, to designs by the architect William Shearburn of Dorking, following the detruction by fire in July 1834 of the 17th century house previously on this site. The Earl and Countess of Ripon are thought to have built much of the estate village of Nocton at around the same time, including the nearby All Saints Church, which was commissioned by the Countess in memory of her husband in 1862 and built by George Gilbert Scott.
The 1st edition 6" Ordnance Survey COunty Series map of 1888 shows the footprint of the main house much as it is today, with extensive gardens and pleasure grounds surrounding it. The house was built in a Tudor style, with stone quarried from the estate, and with dressings of Ancaster stone. A survey of the buildings conducted in 1996 found evidence to suggest that some interior features may have been re-used from the earlier house on the site, and evidence in the standing fabric of the building shows a mixture of materials which may suggest further evidence of this. The main reception rooms were described as having plaster ceilings and fireplaces. The building is thought to have ceased function as a private residence in 1919, being used as a preparatory school until 1940, when it was aquired by the Air Ministry. After a number of different military uses during the Second World War, it became a hospital in 1943, transferring from the United States Army Medical Branch to the Royal Air Force after the end of the Second World War. It remained in use as a military hospital for many years, being sold again in the early 1990s, after which it remained vacant.
The main block of the house is roughly rectangular in plan, with an extending service wing to the north forming an overall L-shape. The building is of two principal storeys, with attic and basement levels. The main entrance to the house is in its northern elevation in a projecting, single storey bay with a moulded arch opening and a parapet with quatrefoil panels. Although the 2004 fire caused considerable damage to the building, including the loss of the roofs, all internal floors and the majority of the internal fittings, the interior of the house still retains its principal internal masonry and structural walls. The layout of the ground floor, including doorways between rooms, can be largely discerned from the surviving walls. Aside from this, there are some small fragments of internal plasterwork visible, and the lining of the position of the main stair in the central hall can be seen. Portions of the secondary stair with some cantilevered stone treads and sections of metal balustrading also survive. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate entry in the National Heritage List for England. {10}

<1> Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram, 1989, Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition), p.578 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1062.

<2> William White, 1856, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Lincolnshire (Second Edition), p.365 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI886.

<3> Henry Thorold, 1999, Lincolnshire Houses, p.161 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI6929.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1902-06, 25 Inch County Series Map - Second Edition, TF 06 SE (Map). SLI3566.

<5> Carol Bennett, 1996, 'E.J.Willson and the Architectural History of Nocton Old Hall' in Lincolnshire People and Places, pp.26-42 (Article in Serial). SLI6920.

<6> Terence R. Leach, 1991, Lincolnshire Country Houses and Their Families - Part Two, pp.191-204 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI6936.

<7> Department of the Environment, 1985, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 5/63 (Index). SLI6615.

<8> Lincolnshire County Council, Sites and Monuments Record Card Index, TF 06 SE: AF (Index). SLI2881.

<9> North Kesteven District Council, 2008, Nocton Conservation Area: An Assessment of the Character and Appearance of the Conservation Area, Appendix 1, 17 (Report). SLI12159.

<10> Historic England (formerly English Heritage), 2011->, The National Heritage List for England, 1360561 (Website). SLI13386.

Monument Types

• MANOR HOUSE (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1675 AD?)
• COUNTRY HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1675 AD? to 1834 AD)
• COUNTRY HOUSE (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1841 AD to 1919 AD)
• PREPARATORY SCHOOL (Early 20th Century to Second World War - 1919 AD to 1940 AD)
• MILITARY HOSPITAL (Second World War to Late 20th Century - 1940 AD to 1990 AD?)
• COUNTRY HOUSE (Late 20th Century to 21st Century - 1990 AD? to 2050 AD)

Associated Events

• Site visit to present Nocton Hall
• Site visit as part of Nocton Conservation Area Assessment
• Site Visit to Nocton Hall

Protected Status

• Listed Building
• Conservation Area

Sources and further reading

Related records

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