The Mansion House

The South & North Wings and Surrounding Buildings

South and North Wing

The South Wing of the Mansion is designed as family living accommodation. Entered by a short flight of steps, across a wide flagged terrace with an arched covered seating area, a loggia with victorian tiling, into a spacious hallway with tall windows looking out onto the main entrance. The hallway has gothic overtones in its design and leads to a staircase and a series of bedrooms, probably staff accommodation in the west end of that wing.

The front of the South Wing is an enclosed space, currently occupied by student hostels, with two brick and flint pillars alternating in bands, at its further end. The space between the house and pillars served as a tennis court in the 1920s and ’30s.

Originally there were two ornamental metal gates between these pillars, a wrought iron clairvoyee with the open space between the gates and the south wing of the main house a walled enclosure. The gates led out onto the deep park to the south.

North Wing has been much altered and is currently the College Courtyard Cafeteria and adjacent kitchen with staff accommodation above.

Chimney Pieces

The baroque splendour of the chimney-pieces is a notable feature of Hall Place. The overmantel of the Clayton East Room fireplace depicts the ‘Sacrifice of Iphigenia’. It is presumed to be symbolic of the marriage of Princess Anne, (depicted as Iphigenia), who was regarded by the Queen, her sisters and others, as a martyr used for the country’s good.

The unusual fireplace in the Jacob Bancks Room is recorded by historians as a monstrous flight of flattery. Here the royal couple, Anne and William, are represented as Alexander and Campaspe, the scene being the painting of Campaspe’s portrait by Appelies. The phoenix, flanked by two lions, refers to the ‘Glorious Revolution’ (the arrival of William and Mary) and England’s subsequent rebirth.

The chimneypiece in the Salter Chalker Room dominates a high but narrow space. The twin eagles are ready to overpower dissent; there is a very fine plater ‘meringue’ molding surrounding the central lighting point.

Jersey Yard

The term describes a range of what were originally brick farm buildings dating from the Victorian era to the north of Clock Cottage, originally open-fronted yards with a barn in one corner. The name recalls previous use as a centre for a Dairy Herd of Jersey cows.

Completely refurbished in 1996 the yard today forms a modern and attractive teaching environment.

The Lodge

Internally, the cottage reflects two building eras; timbered walls with brick infill in the original section; two comfortable wood-paneled rooms in the 1700s additions.

At the ‘new’ entrance to the estate, the lodge is a typical gatehouse of its era built in 1873 marking the date at which the main drive was cut due east to Hurley Road. A small originally two up, two down early Victorian estate lodge.

A pair of semi-detached cottages of similar size and of the same period lies at the south boundary of the current site.

Another lodge at the entrance to a now little-used drive leading down into the Thames Valley via Henley Road was sold in the 1970s.