Building record MLI54153 - Gainsborough Old Hall

Summary

Gainsborough Old Hall.

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

The Old Hall is principally brick with later additions. {1} A complicated building consisting of the great hall and two wings and a fourth side which was demolished in the English Civil War. Superb timber-framing and brickwork. The sequence of building history has been gradually elucidated, especially by excavations in the west wing. Dendrochronological sampling of timbers in the great hall has also been conducted. {2}{3}{4}{5}{6}{7}{8} Structural remains, including indications of curtain wall and brick foundations of other walls, were recorded during the construction of new paths around the south side of the building in 1993. {9} The Old Hall was descheduled in May 1997. {10}{11} The first floor east wing corridor has in situ domestic glazing dating to about 1450-84 and to the 16th century. Stained glass in the Great Hall north wall dates to the mid to late 15th century, and includes the Royal Arms of England, dating to about 1450-84. {12} During a watching brief carried out to the rear of the Hall, remains of two brick built features were uncovered. The date of these features was not certain although the bricks appear to be of late medieval/post medieval type. These features may represent cellars, although it is unclear whether they belong to one or two structures. They appear to have been associated with a nearby brick chimney stack which is of medieval date, although heavily restored in the 19th century. {13}{14}{15} For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {16}{17}{18}{19} During watching briefs along a pipeline route in the streets around the hall, several features that may be related to the hall were uncovered. These include an undated ditch (PRN 51469) which may be part of the hall moat, and also post medieval brick walls which may represent structures or boundaries associated with the hall. {20} Examination of the wall-painting is the lower inner chamber of Gainsborough Old Hall was undertaken in March 2010. The original wall painting dates to the early seventeenth century and was probably commissioned by William Hickman, a London merchant, who owned the Hall from about 1595 until his death in 1625. It is an ostentatious painting with a rich use of pattern and colour and is an important example of a seventeenth-century wall-painting. Such an expensive artwork was designed to show off the wealth of the Hall’s owner and demonstrate his status as well as his social aspirations. {21}

Sources/Archives (21)

  •  Scheduling Record: AM 7. -.
  •  Scheduling Record: HBMC. 1986. AM 107. -.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). pp.243-4.
  •  Index: FIELD, F.N.. 1985. EAST MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGICAL BULLETIN. -.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Lindley, P. (ed.). 1991. Gainsborough Old Hall. Occasional Papers 8.
  •  Report: LINDSEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES. 1991. GAINSBOROUGH OLD HALL. DAIS WINDOW.
  •  Article in Serial: A.J. White and M.C. Solly (eds.). 1983. 'Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, 1982' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.18, p.97.
  •  Article in Serial: A.B. Page (ed.). 1985. 'Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, 1984' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.20, pp.69-70.
  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. 1993. Gainsborough Old Hall Paths Renewal: Archaeological Watching Brief. GOH P-93.
  •  Report: LINDSEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES. 1995. GAINSBOROUGH OLD HALL DAIS WINDOW. -.
  •  Scheduling Record: ENGLISH HERITAGE. 1997. DESCHEDULING DOCUMENT 90797. MPP 25.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Penny Hebgin-Barnes. 1996. The Medieval Stained Glass of the County of Lincolnshire. pp. 95-97.
  •  Report: Pre-Construct Archaeology. 2007. Gainsborough Old Hall: Archaeological Watching Brief. GOHT07.
  •  Article in Serial: F.N. Field and I. George. 1994. Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.29, p.47.
  •  Archive: Pre-Construct Archaeology. 2007. Gainsborough Old Hall: Archaeological Watching Brief. LCNCC 2007.83.
  •  Index: Department of the Environment. 1977. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 1/2, 4/2; 167.041.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. SK 89 SW: D.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. SK 89 SW: 2.
  •  Unpublished Document: Oxford Archaeology. 2003. Gainsborough Old Hall, Lincolnshire: Conservation Plan (Draft). -.
  •  Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. 1992. Gainsborough Watermains Relay Gladstone St, Morley St, Cobden St, Bright St & Lord St: Archaeological Watching Brief. -.
  •  Report: Courtauld Institute of Art. 2010. Lower Inner Chamber wall paintings examination and recommendations at Gainsborough Old Hall, Gainsborough. -.

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Grid reference Centred SK 81310 90007 (61m by 41m) Surveyed
Civil Parish GAINSBOROUGH, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

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Record last edited

Dec 6 2023 10:34AM

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