| Ashton Hall | |
| Location: | Thurnham, Lancashire |
| Coordinates: | |
| Built: | 14th century 1856 |
| Architect: | William Le Gendre Starkie (1856) |
| Listed Building – Grade I | |
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Location of Ashton Hall in Lancashire
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Ashton Hall is a 14th-century mansion in the civil parish of Thurnham, Lancashire, England. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the city of Lancaster and is on the east bank of the River Lune. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage and is now owned by Lancashire Golf Club.
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The original hall dates from the late 14th century. It is in the civil parish of Thurnham and is situated approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the city of Lancaster, on the east side of the Lune estuary.[1] It was probably completed in 1381, built by Edmund Lawrence.[2] In 1853, the hall was bought by the Starkie family of Huntroyde Hall and in 1856 it was largely rebuilt to a design by William Le Gendre Starkie.[2] The only part of the 14th-century structure that remains is the tower that now forms the southern wing of the hall.[1]
The land around Ashton Hall has been turned into a golf course, and the hall is owned by Lancaster Golf Club.[2]
Ashton Hall is constructed of red and grey sandstone, with roofs of slate.[3] Its plan is unusual, with towers set diagonally.[2] The 19th-century building was built in the Gothic style of grey sandstone. The rectangular 14th-century tower is of red sandstone; it has angle-towers and a crenellated parapet.[3]
The grounds of the hall have a number of other buildings. There is a sandstone ashlar gatehouse which dates from around 1600. It was extended in the 19th century. The gatehouse has a segmented arch with Doric columns.[4] An ice house of sandstone rubble and brick stands to the north-west of the hall. This probably dates from the 19th century.[5] 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.[6]
On 1 August 1952, English Heritage designated Ashton Hall a Grade I listed building.[3] The Grade I designation—the highest of the three grades—is for buildings "of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important".[7] The gatehouse and the former stable block have received separate Grade II* designations.[6][4] The ice house, an arched conduit mouth, a mounting block and the courtyard walls are listed at Grade II.[5][8][9][10][11]