| Summary : An Early 17th century manor house built on the site of the levelled Benedictine priory cell, (Monument Record 39237). It was largely rebuilt and remodelled between 1752-64 as a country house in the Palladian style, by John Carr of York. Elements of the earlier building are incorporated into the rear courtyard ranges. The rebuilt building is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, with stone and stucco dressings. It has a hipped roof of Cumberland slate and a symmetrical three-storey frontage with a central pedimented central bay. The exterior design subtly suggests a devision between the "rustic" style of the ground floor and the "paino nobile" of a grander first floor, though this is not the reality of the interior, as it was built at a time of transitional fashion where elegant ground floor rooms in the Adams style were also becoming fashionable. Historically (from 1603 to the 1960s) it was the seat of the Clifton family. The building is set in parkland (see Monument Record 1130372). |
More information : An Early 17th century manor house, which was largely rebuilt and remodelled between 1752-64 as a country house in the Palladian style, by John Carr of York. Elements of the earlier building are incorporated into the rear courtyard ranges. The rebuilt building is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, with stone and stucco dressings. It has a hipped roof of Cumberland slate. It has a symmetrical three-storey frontage with a central pedimented central bay. The exterior design subtly suggests a devision between the "rustic" style of the ground floor and the "paino nobile" of a grander first floor, though this is not the reality of the interior, as it was built at a time of transitional fasion where elegant ground floor rooms were also becoming fashionable. This is a Grade I Listed Building, set in parkland which is also of registered national importance. Listing NGR: SD3569527971. For full details see Listing entry. (1)
The friends of Lytham Hall maintain a website covering the history of the hall with descriptions of the building and its interior. The website includes contact details of the building, which is owned by the Heritage Trust for the North West. (2)
Pevsner gives a description of the building in the classic Buildings of England series. He notes that the original manor began as a monastic farming cell for Durham, and that after the reformation the estate changed hands several times before passing to Sir Cuthbert Clifton on 1606. (3) |