Kay Pilsbury Architects, conservation, listed buildings, sibyl, thomas, historic, restoration, conversion, renovation, riba, barn, mill, church, traditional, heritage, quinquennial, extension, house, Victorian, Georgian, designer, Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, London, Uttlesford, Cambridgeshire, Radwinter, Saffron Walden, Braintree

Country House

Spains Hall is a grade 1 listed English country house Circa 1570, with C17, C18 and C19 additions, incorporating a timber framed medieval house of, c.1400-50.

The house is currently undergoing very careful and considered restoration to allow the Hall and adjacent formal rooms to become a beautiful setting for weddings in conjunction with the converted stable block. The Ruggles-Brise family still live in the house today and work the estate, which is surrounded by beautiful gardens and a lake, with open views across the fields to the picturesque village of Finchingfield with its Norman church and post windmill.

The main façade is red brick with 7 original gables all with attractive curvilinear copings and moulded mullion windows with square heads and labels. The house is entered through the central porch under one of these full height gables into the Great Hall. This double height Great Hall is lit by a great 9 bay mullioned stone window with stained historic glass. There is a large stone fireplace and high oak panelling on all sides with carved and moulded oak beams in the ceiling.

The restoration has involved a thorough and comprehensive specification with detailed working drawings of all the repairs and alterations needed. We are currently supervising the site and advising on the approach needed on repairs to delicate joinery and materials. The historic fabric has needed specialist fireproofing and accessible facilities to bring it up to current building regulations. As the works are progressing and opening up occurs the house is undergoing a full Historical Recording to catalogue and date all the build periods and construction. We are also having paint analysis to establish the traditional paints types and colours used in the past. Since we have been on-site we have discovered three water wells and evidence of an earlier timber frame with wattle and daub within the Georgian wing.

Please visit the Spains Hall website for more information on their weddings and corporate facilities and the history of the house:

http://www.spainshall.co.uk/