SNN111487 - The Basements at Kelmarsh Hall, Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire, Historic Building Survey, May 2014

An archaeological survey of the Basement rooms beneath the Main Block and North Pavilion at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire has been undertaken by The JESSOP Consultancy to provide a greater understanding of the development of this part of the house that will inform proposals for new visitor interpretation. The building is Grade I listed, and located at NGR SP 73633 79603 (centered). Kelmarsh Hall is an important example of a compact Palladian style country residence built c.1728-32 to a design by the architect James Gibbs. The survey has been successful in recording evidence for the original and subsequent layout of the various rooms and connecting corridors, with evidence for at least six principal phases of change. It has however, been much harder to confirm with certainty the changing uses of each space over time, although this may be refined by future research, or survey. The survey has demonstrated that the existing layout of the basements has been created by the gradual subdivision of larger spaces, presumably associated with the changing needs of the household over time, and in response to the introduction of new technology and services. The circulation routes of domestic staff though the basements, appear to have been focused upon a central north-south access route, from which the various rooms are entered. Vertical movement to the upper floors was via an open well timber stair that extended up to the staff bedrooms in the garret at the top of the house. A stairway in the northeast corner of the Main Block provided access up to the North Quadrant Corridor, forming a direct route to the kitchens and house-keeper’s rooms in the North Pavilion. The archaeological recording has also raised the possibility that there was direct external access into the ancillary yards to the north and south of the Main Block, although this contradicts the surviving drawings for Kelmarsh attributed to James Gibbs. Improvements to the provision of services within the basements have been recorded in the form of new water pipes, an external water tank beneath the East Forecourt and a large water softening plant. Electric fittings survive within many of the rooms, although no evidence for gas lighting has been recorded, and presumably candles and lanterns were extensively used. There is a good level of preservation of architectural features within both the basements of the Main Block in the form of the Butler’s Pantry, and in the North Pavilion, including slate sinks, worktops, a free-standing smoking oven, and brick wine stores all of which have the potential for new interpretative displays and improved public access.