Netherby Hall

Has been described as a Certain Pele Tower

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameNetherby Hall
Alternative NamesRichd Greme; Netherbie; Netherby Castle
Historic CountryCumberland
Modern AuthorityCumbria
1974 AuthorityCumbria
Civil ParishArthuret

House. C15 tower house, extended or altered in 1639 for Sir Richard Graham (reused datestone with initials RG over entrance to left); late C18 additions for Rev Robert Graham, with further extensions of 1833 for Sir James Graham by William Burn. Tower, enclosed by later buildings, has walls over 2 metres thick, thought to be of stone from the nearby Roman fort; extensions of red sandstone ashlar on chamfered plinth with flush quoins, string courses, moulded cornice and solid parapets; slate roofs, numerous stone chimney stacks. 3 storeys, numerous bays; Scottish Baronial style extensions. C19 polygonal 3- storey entrance tower has 3-panel double doors with radial fanlight in round moulded arch with false keystone; alternate block pilasters with moulded entablature and cornice, surmounted by carved coat of arms. 2-pane sash windows in moulded shouldered architraves with false keystones and triangular open pediments with decorative cartouche. 3-storey tower to right is the original house with C19 facing. Niche with carved stone figure of knight in armour on ground floor; oriel 2-pane sash window above; corbelled-out parapet with round angle turret, crow stepped gable with carved coat of arms and triple candlestick chimney stacks. Lower flanking wings have 2-pane sash windows in alternate block surrounds and false keystones. Old Servants Hall to extreme right of 2 storeys, 3 bays, has 6-panel door in round arched recess with alternate block surround and triangular open pediment; 2 crow-stepped dormers with domed circular turrets. C18 garden front of 2 storeys, 5 recessed bays with flanking 2-storey canted bay windows. Large 2-pane ground floor sash windows, single- pane sashes above, in similar alternate block surrounds as entrance front; attic oculi. Flanking 1½; storey, 3-bay wings with lead-hipped graduated green slate roofs; central window and rounded window above in round arched recess, all in plain surrounds

Interior has mid-late C18 moulded plasterwork in recesses and ceilings; C18 panelled doors in moulded wooden architraves with triangular moulded pediments. Tower retains its newel staircase. Interior alterations by H.J. Harding 1937, of ground floor of tower. Reused C17 carved Flemish panelling in hall and dining room, with C19 heavily moulded ceiling by William Burn. Armorial stained glass in hall by Willement, 1836. Burn's drawings for Netherby are in RIBA collection. (Listed Building Report)

Tower encased in later house.

Shown as a tower and hall of 'Richd Greme' on the 1552 map, a tower at 'Netherbie' in 1590 and as a house at 'Netherby' on the 1607 Platt. (Perriam and Robinson 1998)

Gatehouse Comments

The C16 house was the manorial centre but the Graham's only obtained knightly status in the C16. However the form of this house was a chamber block tower attached to a hall.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNY396716
Latitude55.0355110168457
Longitude-2.94561004638672
Eastings339663
Northings571613
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Calculate Print

Books

  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 237 (plan)
  • Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 77
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 48 (slight)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 89
  • Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p. 146-148
  • Pevsner, N., 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth: Penguin) p. 169
  • Jeffrey, A., 1864, History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire Vol. 4 p. 232 (facsimile of map) online copy
  • Whellan, W., 1860, The History and Topography of the Counties of Cumberland and Westmorland (Pontefract) p. 628 online copy

Antiquarian

Journals

  • 1949, Jan 21, Country Life
  • Graham, T.H.B., 1914, 'The Debatable Land Part II' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 14 facing p. 148 online copy [online copy of 1607 platt > http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/maps/m067.htm] [online copy of 1552 map > http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/maps/m068.htm]

Primary Sources

  • 1590, A Platt of the opposete Borders of Scotland to ye west marches of England (The Aglionby Platt) British Library online Gallery and [Old Cumbria Gazetteer > http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/maps/m048.htm] (see also [Gatehouse Essay 'The Aglionby Platt' > http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/APHome.html])