Down Hall is a large red brick merchant's folly in Barrow upon Humber in North Lincolnshire, England. Built in 1877 by JW Beeton, a willow merchant from Hull, the building originally served as both a grand house and a factory for the manufacture of coal baskets, chairs, and prams on its top floor and attic.
Beeton was an eccentric who paid his workers in distinctive octagonal tokens, and observed them cutting osiers from a panoramic view glass tower, (now removed,) on the roof of the building. It is alleged that he lined the drive to the hall with skulls removed from a Saxon burial ground which was disturbed during building.
Down Hall was built by John Sleight of Barrow, who said that the house was based on the calendar using the numbers seven, twenty-four, twelve, fifty-two and even three-hundred-and-sixty-five for numbers and measurements of doors, windows and other fittings. Sleight claimed that the effort of building a house to such eccentric specifications almost killed him.
References
- "Down Hall". About the Village. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Down Hall .geograph.org.uk; retrieved 7 April 2011
- "appraisal for the Barrow upon Humber conservation area". North Lincolnshire council. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
External links
- "Barrow upon Humber" shonamcisaac.com; retrieved 7 April 2011
- recent auction details retrieved 22 May 2013
- "Probate notice, John William Beeton" (PDF). London Gazette. 23 August 1907. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
53°40′56″N 0°22′32″W / 53.6822°N 0.3756°W / 53.6822; -0.3756
Categories: