Building record 7198/4/1 - Our Lady's Convent Preparatory School, Hall Lane (Formerly Bryn Hafod)

House, at present Convent. Dated 1898. By J.A. Gotch for Charles Wicksteed. Red brick with stone dressings and plain tile roof.

{1} House, at present Convent. Dated 1898. By J.A. Gotch for Charles Wicksteed. Red brick with stone dressings and plain tile roof. Brick ridge and end stacks have unusual moudled stone entablature caps which incorporate up-draft enhancers. Seventeenth century Artisan Mannerist style with main windows of stone mullion and transom design with finely leaded casements. Secondary windows are sashes under stone lintels. 2 storeys and attic. Main front faces garden to rear, entrance front to right side, service front faces lane. This has a long front of sash windows with, to right, the fine large window of leaded casements which lights the staircase. Below are further leaded-light casements and, on right, is a facing gable again with leaded casements.
The entrance front has the front door recessed within a curved moulded stone arch and has a projecting stack to right with initials and date CW 1898. To right and above are mullion and transom windows, and beyond the C20th chapel link is an unusual stone bow window. The garden front has four large gables facing and is a 6-window range at first floor over a centre-left garden door between 2-light windows and a large polygonal bay either side. These last have low stone balustrade caps. Window to right is a later careful insertion. Further service windows on the right end.
INTERIOR. The entrance door leads to a vestibule and an inner door with finely leaded part-glazed door which leads to the large central hall with boxed cross-beamed ceiling all enriched with plasterwork and anaglypta decoration and frieze. Elaborate fireplace and overmantel and elaborate doors and fittings and half-height panelling.
The staircase rises from the hall and returns to the landing above. Balustrade with reeded square balusters. Room to right of hall has C18th style fireplace. Drawing room behind has fine fireplace and overmantel and unusual low bow window as well as the large bay. At present a narrow strip has been partitioned off to form a passage leading to the chapel, but all the elaborate cornice survives. The dining room also has an elaborate fireplace and overmantel. A further reception room, facing the lane and perhaps a business room, has a C18 style fireplace with cast-iron grate. Bedrooms have been modified in some cases but many fireplaces with cast-iron grates and moulded doors survive as do the back stairs.
This is a fine quality house by the distinguished architect J.A. Gotch, who was also an expert on C16 and C17 architecture. It was designed for Charles Wicksteed as his home and the patron specified that the house must have ‘a central hall, easily cleared for dancing; there must be space for entertaining, and several spare rooms for guests.’ Gotch provided this in a very effective manner and embellished the house with many fittings of quality. These have in very large part survived. Charles Wicksteed in a speech in 1923 said of the house ‘A beautiful house, which had never been altered or repaired and was comfortable and beautiful in every way. Everything Mr. Gotch did was tasteful, beautiful, and good work.,’ Charles Wicksteed was a notable local businessman and a very generous benefactor to Kettering. He donated the large Wicksteed Park which continues to be one of the main leisure facilities of the town.
He lived at Bryn Hafod until his death in 1931. The house became a Convent in the 1050s.
The various extensions to the house including the remodelling of an early stable or service range which projects forward to the road, the chapel of 1963 (much remodelled in recent years), and the accommodation wing of the 1960s-70s are not of special architectural interest.
Bryn Hafod forms a significant group with the former preparatory school (q.v.), aka Middlewest, next door.
[SMR Note: copy of Listing Schedule retained in Supplementary File RN:8577001.]

{5} Bryn Hafod was listed in 2004, subsequent to the production of this report.
Initial residential development on the outskirts of Kettering as a rural suburb, with Bryn Hafod being built by the architect J.A.Gotch shortly after 1896 for Charles Wicksteed, local businessman and entrepreneur.
The house forms the living accommodation for the Convent Sisters. The site is approached from Hall Lane via a driveway adjacent to the cottage. The main house lies beneath the level of Hall Lane and was obviously designed to be seen from the garden on the eastern side. It is of four bays, built of brick with stone dressings.
Two canted bay windows light the principal ground floor reception rooms placed either side of an imposing entrance hall reached by a side entrance over which is a date stone "C 1989 W". Most of the ground floor rooms are essentially unaltered, as are the first floor rooms save for the insertion of glass screens as fire breaks.

<1> DCMS, 2004, Listing Schedule, 492556 (checked) (Schedule). SNN104967.

<2> Hardgrave R.K., 2003, Assessment and Building Evaluation for The Convent of Our Lady, February 2003, (unchecked) (Report). SNN105056.

<3> Wicksteed H., 1933, Charles Wicksteed, p.76-8 (unchecked) (Book). SNN105057.

<4> Prentice J., 2003, Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment & Building Evaluation For The Convent of Our Lady, Hall Lane, Kettering, Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Report). SNN105981.

<5> Prentice J.;Brown J.; Walker C., 2014, Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment and Building Evaluation for The Convent of Our Lady, Hall Lane, Kettering, Northamptonshire, December 2003, p.1+5 (checked) (Report). SNN109893.

<6> Ashleigh Murray and Helen Ensor, 2014, Bryn Hafod and Middlewest, Hall Lane, Kettering, Northamptonshire: Historic Building Recording (Report). SNN116610.

Record last edited

Sep 27 2024 9:52AM