A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



panels, and has a flat ceiling over the dais at the plate 

 level, replacing a panelled cove. 



At the north-east of the hall is the great bay window 

 of unusual character, being in plan seven sides of a 

 decagon, with pairs of square-headed lights on each 

 side, and a transom at half height, carved with a 

 running vine pattern. The wooden framing stands 

 on a stone base, with a band of quatrefoils on the 

 inside below the sill of the window, and over the bay 

 is a rectangular chamber or upper story, apparently 

 contemporary with it, its angles projecting in a some- 

 what awkward manner over the canted sides of the 

 window. The bay opens to the hall by a four-centred 

 arch of wood, and the room over it is also open for 

 its full width, and is reached by a stair contrived in 

 the north-east angle of the hall, within the lines of 

 the passage at the north end of the dais leading to 

 a north-east doorway on the ground floor. The west 

 wall of the hall is framed in square panels inclosing 

 quatrefoils and has at the plate level a wooden cove, 

 the gable above which is similarly treated. In this 

 wall are now two doorways, but traces of the third, 

 making the triple arrangement of buttery, pantry, 

 and kitchen passage, were discovered in 1896. The 

 heads of the doorways, only one of which now re- 

 mains, were four-centred, cut from a single piece of 

 wood, and with carved spandrels, and at either end 

 of the passage through the screens were similar but 

 wider doorways, that to the north, which still is 

 preserved, being the most ornate, and having a band 

 of quatrefoils above the spandrels. The external 

 north elevation of the hall, though now much re- 

 paired, preserves its original design with little altera- 

 tion. The wall surface is divided into square panels 

 inclosing quatrefoils filled in with plaster, and a con- 

 tinuous line of narrow lights, six between each pair 

 of uprights, runs along the upper part of the wall 

 forming a sort of clearstory to the hall. The upper 

 story of the bay is similarly panelled, but has lost 

 its original window, if such existed. Its gable is 

 also panelled and sets forward on a cove, and a 

 similar cove existed below the eaves of the hall. 

 The framing of the bay window is warped and leans 

 to one side, but is otherwise sound ; small shafts 

 ending in crocketed pinnacles run up the face of the 

 muUions. The south wall of the hall was of the same 

 character as the north, but has been entirely rebuilt in 

 grey brick, with two very unattractive four-light 

 windows in terra cotta. 



At either end of the hall are buildings which con- 

 tain work contemporary with it, those at the east end, 

 which were the principal living rooms, being the 

 more interesting. They are of two stories, the 

 original part being one room thick, and having two 

 rooms on each floor. The rooms on the south front 

 are the principal ones, that on the ground floor being 

 known as the Star chamber, from the gilt lead stars 

 with which its ceiling of moulded oak beams is studded. 

 It is doubtless to be considered as the Great Chamber, 

 with a solar over, the name of chapel which has been 

 given to the upper room being entirely fanciful. Its 

 walls are covered on three sides with plain oak panel- 

 ling with a cresting of Tudor flowers, and from the 

 arrangement of the panelling it seems that the room 

 has been originally wider from north to south. In 

 the south wall is now a modern rectangular bay con- 

 taining a window, the successor of a very picturesque 

 and interesting bay window of wood two stories in 



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height, which survived, though in a mutilated state, 

 till 1 896. In plan it formed half of a twelve-sided 

 figure, the alternate sides being treated as projecting 

 semicircular bays with seven tall narrow square-headed 

 lights in each. The plain sides were treated as win- 

 dows of two lights, that in the middle being pierced 

 in later times as a doorway to the garden. The room 

 on the first floor over the Star chamber is also panelled, 

 but with early 17th-century panelling with a modil- 

 lion cornice and narrow oblong upper panels, the 

 others being square. Above its canted plaster ceiling 

 the mediaeval roof remains, with cambered tie-beam 

 and arched braces beneath, and it was formerly lighted 

 by a continuation of the bay window, ending under 

 a rectangular projecting gable filled in with wooden 

 studding. This room and the Star chamber have fire- 

 places on the east side, and the chimney-stack was 

 found in 1 896 to show clear signs of having been 

 external, proving that at the time of its building the 

 house extended no further eastward. An interesting 

 theory worked out in some detail by the late E. W. 

 Cox that this chimney belonged to a 14th century 

 house seems to rest on too slight a basis of probability. 

 The north side of this part of the house is now occu- 

 pied by an entrance hall and stairs, the latter having 

 newel posts of an ornamental baluster type, the lower 

 one dated 1699. These are, however, only the posts 

 of a bedstead, and the stairs are not ancient. The par- 

 tition between these rooms and the great hall is of 

 timber framing, and apparently modern, replacing a 

 brick wall, which in itself cannot have been mediaeval. 

 Adjoining the Star chamber to the east is a three- 

 story block — or rather one of two stories with a low 

 attic — which seems to be of 16th-century date, 

 having on the first floor a room with panelled walls 

 and a ceiling with a geometrical pattern of moulded 

 ribs. The fireplace is of late Gothic type, and has 

 over it four linen-pattern panels of oak. The ground- 

 floor room beneath has no old features of interest, but 

 in the attic, which seems to be an addition, probably 

 of c. 1620, there is a good plaster panel of Jacobean 

 style over the fireplace with the quarterly shield of 

 RadclifFe between four roses : I. Two bends en- 

 grailed, with a label of three points (Radcliffe) ; 2. 

 Two bars, and over all a bend (Leigh) ; 3. Three 

 billets and a chief; 4. A fesse between three garbs 

 (Sandbach). 



The block to the north of this shows no traces of 

 antiquity, and the south-east wing already mentioned 

 is also of no interest. 



The buildings at the west end of the hall have 

 been completely modernized on the south side, and 

 their outer walls rebuilt in brick, and most of the old 

 partitions on the upper floor removed. They are of 

 two stories like the rest, and on the north, towards 

 the courtyard, have a very picturesque timber-built 

 elevation, with a large two-storied 17th-century bay 

 window set against a Gothic front which is probably 

 of the date of the hall, and has the same quatrefoil 

 panels. The bay window is a half hexagon in plan, 

 with square-headed transomed windows of four lights 

 in each side, and quatrefoil panels below them to 

 match the older work. They end below the spring- 

 ing of the gable, which is also panelled with quatre- 

 foils and set forward on a coved cornice with a 

 moulded and embattled string at its base. West of 

 the bay the ground story has a range of narrow win- 

 dows like those in the hall, now modernized, and on 



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