Denzell House

Denzell House is a Grade II* listed building on Dunham Road in Bowdon, a suburb of Altrincham, in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it is noted for its Victorian architecture and historical significance. Originally built in 1874 as a private residence for textile magnate Robert Scott, the house later served as a Whitsuntide school in 1938, a wartime maternity home, and a post-war health facility before being sold in 1989 and converted into offices.

1. History

Denzell House was built in 1874 for Robert Scott, a wealthy businessman associated with the textile firm Tootal Broadhurst Lee. Scott purchased 10 acres (4 ha) of land from the seventh Earl of Stamford for £7,075 and commissioned Manchester architects Clegg & Knowles to design the property. The house cost approximately £18,000 to build, with an additional £12,000 for fittings. It was intended for Scott's son, Henry, who died—possibly during the Zulu Wars—before occupying the house. After Scott's death in 1904, the property was acquired by Samuel Lamb, a wealthy shipper. Under Lamb's ownership, the gardens flourished, featuring glasshouses that produced peaches, orchids, and vines. These greenhouses remained in use until the mid-1970s, supplying plants for local parks and flowers for civic occasions. Following Lamb's death in 1936, his children gifted the house to Bowdon Urban District Council in memory of their parents. Over the years, Denzell House served a variety of roles. In 1938 it was used as a Whitsuntide weekend school, providing educational and recreational activities during the holiday period. During the Second World War, the house became an annexe to Altrincham General Hospital, functioning as a maternity home to support the increased demand for healthcare services during wartime. In the post-war years, Denzell House continued to be used by the health authority until 1989, when it was sold on a long lease and converted into offices. On 12 July 1985, Denzell House was designated a Grade II* listed building for its architectural and historic significance. The entrance gates, lodge, clock tower, and the archway to the stable yard were demolished at an unknown date. Today, Denzell House remains a prominent heritage building within Denzell Gardens, a public park that preserves part of the original estate. The house is primarily used for office space.

1. Architecture

Denzell House has an eclectic mix of Jacobean, Gothic, and Italianate styles. The architectural critic Pevsner described it as luscious but "really very bad". Features include a stone plinth, ashlar quoins, first-floor and eaves bands, multiple gables, Tudor-style chimneys, and steeply pitched roofs with crested ridge tiles. The entrance façade is dominated by an asymmetrical porte-cochère with semi-circular arches, quatrefoil tracery, modillion eaves, and a parapet with cartouches and finials. Above is a mullioned and transomed window, a dated cartouche (1874), and an ornate gable flanked by chimneys. The south-west garden elevation has five bays with shaped gables to bays 1 and 5, bay windows, mullioned and transomed windows, and pierced parapets. Bays 2 and 3 feature semi-circular two-storey bays; bay 4 has an elaborate oriel with traceried lights, triangular pediments, and a conical roof rising to a spire. A recessed conservatory on the south-east replaces the original timber structure but retains the stone plinth. The north-east elevation has four bays with shaped gables, mullioned windows, and a two-storey canted bay. A contemporary gateway and screen wall of rock-faced stone with buttresses adjoins the west side.

1. = Interior =

Internally, the house features a wide spine corridor with Tudor-arched doors and decorative tracery screens. The entrance vestibule has encaustic tile flooring and a carved timber screen with leaded and painted glass. The entrance hall includes carved wooden dado panelling, a coffered ceiling, and an ornate fireplace with a crocketed hood and hunting scene. Reception rooms display elaborate timber panelling, coffered ceilings, and marble fireplaces, some with painted or gilded overmantels and stained glass. The billiard room has a painted ceiling depicting games and a carved stone fireplace. The main staircase, framed by a Tudor arch, is richly carved and lit by an oriel window with stained glass of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Bacon. The first-floor corridor has a coffered ceiling, glazed lanterns, and decorative chimneypieces, with rooms featuring marble fireplaces, moulded cornices, and stained glass. A secondary staircase leads to former servants' quarters, which retain original fireplaces.

1. See also

Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester Listed buildings in Bowdon, Greater Manchester

1. References