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Thornton
Watlass Hall History |
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The hall stands at the North end of Thornton
Watlass village in a large park, which is now farmed, and a garden area of
about four and a half acres. It consists of a main block on the South side,
with wings running North on the East and West sides. It is built of stone
from various sources, with the walls about 3ft thick. |
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The villages of Thornton and Watlass, once
separated, were mentioned in the Doomsday Book in 1086, Thornton then being
owned by Ribald who was mesne lord under his brother, Alan, Earl of Richmond.
Before the Conquest the Saxon owners were Ulward and Stan, who most likely
had a house on this site. In 1286, Peter de Thoresby held the land and his
descent led to Agnus Clarvaulx, nee Thoresby, who owned most of the present
estate and married her second husband, Thomas Dodsworth in 1415, from whom
the present family are directly descended. |
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There has been a house on the site for all
this time, being altered and renovated over the centuries so that nothing of
the original house remains. The present house is essentially Georgian,
although the shape of the front of the house, with short projecting wings and
gables, is basically Elizabethan. Between 1723 and 1727 very extensive
renovations were carried out. Apparently the front of the older house had
four gables, but two were removed, and the interior almost completely
restored in the Georgian fashion. However, the Drawing Room represents the
centre of the Elizabethan Hall, which extended up to this level before the
lower 18th century ceilings were put in. The fireplace in the Drawing Room is
also of this period, although the stones at the back of the fire are modern.
The windows, inner doors, surrounds and ceiling beams are early Georgian, but
three rooms are walled with Jacobean oak paneling, most likely from the
original house and altered to fit the present rooms. Two are now painted, but
one has been stripped back to the original wood, which was done in about 1976
by Mr W Auton of Thornton Watlass, over a two year period. There are several
large open fireplaces downstairs, the one in the Drawing Room being the
largest. |
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There is an extensive library with books on
many subjects, having been collected by members of the family for the last
400 years, a few going back to the 16th century. The main staircase is more
recent, being erected in the 1870's. The balustrades were originally altar
rails in West Tanfield church, near Ripon, and the carving on the newels and
the landing were done by Francis Wrighton, gamekeeper to Sir Charles Edward
Smith-Dodsworth in 1873. The coat of arms on the landing represents the arms
of Dodsworth, Smith, Thoresby and Blayney. |
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The rest of the house is newer than the main
block. The West Wing was built in about 1780 and consists of guest bedrooms
above and offices and the Billiard Room below. The East wing beyond the
kitchen, consisting of old servant's bedrooms and the old housekeeper's room
and meat larders, were added in about 1800, with the old laundry about 1820.
A leaded window in the laundry passage may be Tudor but has come from
somewhere else, as has the decorative stonework at the end of the East wing.
These may have come from the old Elizabethan house. |
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Sir Charles erected the family crests, set in
the Dutch gable of the West wing, in about 1870, the one on the left being
Dodsworth and the right one being Smith. Two pillars on the carriage sweep
were originally from the front gates of Newlands Park, near Wakefield, which
was, for a long time, the family seat of the Smiths. Lady Blanche, widow of
Sir Charles, erected the low wall with stone lions, at the rear of the house
in about 1900. There is quite a large stable yard to the east
of the house with the stable on the south side dating back to the 17th
century and now partly converted to cottages. The loose boxes on the north
side are more recent, about 1800. One of them, with mounting block outside,
is still known as St. Patrick's loose box after a racehorse owned by Sir
Edward Dodsworth in 1820 and winner of the St Leger and several other major
races. Sir John Smith-Dodsworth, Bt June 1987 |
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