Kirkland Hall

Kirkland Hall is a Georgian country house in the village of Churchtown, in Kirkland parish near Garstang, in the Wyre district of Lancashire. It is a Grade II* listed building, the middle of the three protection grades in the National Heritage List for England, and one of only two top-rated monuments in the parish alongside the Grade I church of St Helen. Do not confuse it with the Vanderbilt University building of the same name in Nashville or with other places called Kirkland Hall elsewhere in Britain.

Who designed it and when?

The main block dates from 1760. The listing connects it to John Carr of York, one of the leading architects of Georgian England, an attribution that comes from Colvin's reference work. The pediment over the porch carries the inscription "AB 1760". The house is built of brick with sandstone dressings under a slate roof.

What can you see from outside?

The south front is symmetrical, with two storeys, an attic and seven bays. The middle three bays step forward slightly beneath a pediment, stone quoins mark the corners and a cornice runs under the roof. The windows are sashes with glazing bars and gauged brick arches. A Tuscan porch with paired pilasters shelters the door, reached by four steps.

The back of the house is older in character. The wings were rebuilt in the mid-19th century but keep seventeenth-century brickwork. The rear elevation has a clock gable, a doorway inscribed "ABE 1695" and two plaques dated 1668 and 1679.

What are the interiors like?

The listing records an entrance hall with a plaster triglyph frieze and Tuscan pilasters, plus a vestibule divided by two Tuscan columns. The dog-leg staircase has an open string, three turned balusters per tread and a ramped, wreathed handrail. Ground-floor rooms retain panelling, plaster cornices, carved fireplace surrounds and a timber overmantel. The rear range holds a blocked stone fireplace from around 1600 with carved shields.

Can you visit the hall?

The sources do not say that Kirkland Hall is open to visitors, so treat it as a building to admire from outside and respect the privacy of those who live there. Historic England's archive photographs also show the entrance gate piers and a lodge on the southern approach.

How do you get there and what else is nearby?

The hall stands in Churchtown, postcode area PR3, in the Garstang St Helen parish. Garstang is the most convenient base. In Churchtown itself, St Helen's Church is the parish's only Grade I building. Kirkland has 26 listed structures in total, so a walk around the area lets you spot several of them.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Kirkland Hall? In Churchtown, Kirkland parish, close to Garstang in Lancashire, at roughly 53.886 N, 2.792 W.

What is its listing grade? Grade II*, entry 1361955 on the National Heritage List for England, first listed on 16 December 1952.

Who was the architect? The 1760 main block is attributed to John Carr of York.

Can I go inside? No public opening is listed in the sources, so view it from outside and stay off private land.