88 



THORPE HALL, PETERBOROUGH 



The best known of the houses attributed to Webb is Thorpe 

 Hall, near Peterborough (Fig. 46). It was built for Oliver St 

 John, Lord Chief Justice of Common Pleas, and a kinsman of 

 Oliver Cromwell, 1 about the year 1656, which date is on the 



SCALE. 



FIG. 47. Thorpe Hall, near Peterborough. Ground Plan. 



stables. It is a fine massive house of oblong shape, and, like 

 Coleshill, it is without wings, gables, or dominating pediments ; 

 the detail is large and simple, the principal effect being gained 

 by a widely projecting cornice at the eaves. The roof is hipped 

 at the four corners, and its slopes are broken by dormers. The 

 windows are carefully spaced, the angles of the building are 

 emphasised with bold quoins, there is an open columned porch 

 in the middle of each of the two principal fronts, and on one of 

 the short fronts there are two square bay-windows. These are 

 the means adopted to give interest to the design, and slight as 

 they are, they achieve their purpose. A plinth, and a bold string 

 over the ground floor windows help the general proportions, and 



1 "Thorpe Hall," by A. W. Hakeivill, 1852. 



