Coleorton Hall

Coleorton Hall is a 19th-century country mansion, formerly the seat of the Beaumont baronets of Stoughton Grange. Situated at Coleorton, Leicestershire, it is a Grade II* listed building now converted into residential apartments.

Coleorton Hall, Leicestershire; illustration from Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland by John Preston Neale

The manor of Coleorton was acquired by the Beaumont family by marriage in the 15th century. Henry Beaumont, High Sheriff of Leicestershire was knighted in 1603. His son Thomas was created a baronet in 1619 and was raised to the Peerage as Viscount Beaumont of Swords, Dublin in 1622. On the death of the third Viscount in 1702 the estate passed to a distant cousin Sir George Beaumont, 4th Baronet of Stoughton Grange who was Member of Parliament for Leicester 1702-37.

Following his death in 1737 and that of his brother in 1738, the estate and baronetcy passed to a cousin George Beaumont, of Great Dunmow, Essex. His son Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet rebuilt the old manor house in about 1804 to a design by architect George Dance the Younger. The grounds were laid out by Uvedale Price. Under the 7th Baronet, a patron of the arts whose collection formed the foundation of the National Gallery, Coleorton Hall's regular guests included William Wordsworth (who designed the Winter Garden in 1806), Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott and John Constable.

In 1848, two extensions, the Picture Gallery and Beaumont Room, with its ornate ceiling panels, were added.

The ninth baronet, High Sheriff in 1852, substantially remodelled the house in about 1862, with the assistance of architect FP Cockerell, adding another storey. The main entrance front has three storeys and five bays, with an off centre porte-cochere leading to a vaulted porch within a canted full height bay.

In 1948 the Beaumonts sold the house to the National Coal Board for use as offices. In the early 1990s the hall was rented to Fison's Pharmaceuticals. Both the Uk Operation and EMEA Sales management moved into the hall after relocating from other Fison's offices mainly based in Loughborough. The Hall was redecorated and refurbished after it was seen to be a little run down. In 1997 it was sold for redevelopment and converted into residential apartments.

HS2 and the Coleorton hall Estate

The realignment of HS2 means there will be greater impact on Hall Farm and the Coleorton Hall Estate during construction of the railway, realignment of the A512, and when HS2 is operational. Landscaping works would be adjacent to the houses and gardens of these properties.

References

• Images of England; Photograph Coleorton Hall
• Heritage Gateway: architectural description of listed building
• Historic England entry for Coleorton Hall
• Coleorton Hall Conservation Appraisal
• William Wordsworth's Plan For Coleorton Hall Winter Garden