Helsfell Hall, Kendal

Helsfell Hall
Kendal
Cumbria

This has been a site I've been meaning to visit for quite some time. It's only about ten minutes from where I live, so there's really not been any excuse for leaving it this long. There are previous entries on the Castle Blog!! detailing a possibly fortified house....called Helsfell Hall. I think it's safe to assume three things now that this building has been photographed.

1) the building previously named as Helsfell Hall...is not in fact the hall.

2) this building is most definitely Hesfell Hall.

3) there seems to be no evidence that this is a fortified house.

This building is in a simply stunning location. It sits in a field high above Kendal, just off the A5284 to the North West of town. The building can be glimpsed as you drive out toward Windermere....but the blessing here is that there is a public footpath that runs right past it, obviously affording really close examination of the remains.

1st floor three light window....now bricked up.

2nd floor windows, again now bricked up.

Detail of one of the open ground floor windows, showing the thickness of the walls.

Gable end view showing decorative windows (detailed above)

The ground floor window, seen above, appears to be a replacement for a door, which can still faintly be seen, now bricked up, and with a scrap of wooden lintel still embedded in the stonework.

Ground floor details, showing window replacing possible door.

This view clearly shows that a building has been demolished at some point. The roof line can clearly be seen above the small doorway which was probably a later addition. Incidentally, the barn to the right (with the lower roof line) is a later addition to the original hall, as is the huge double door at the top of the ramp...which is also probably a later addition. The following photo shows these details better.

The hall most likely dates from the 16th century...with nothing to more accurately date it. The additions, such as the barn to the rear and the bank leading up the double doors are not listed anywhere so it's been impossible for me to date these parts.

Cornelia Nicholson, in his fantastic book "The Annals of Kendal" makes mention of this hall. He notes that the hall "lays in the shadows of Hesfell Nab" and that "it was once a place of considerable importance." The hall belonged to the Briggs family, who were cousins of the Philipsons, who held Hollin Hall near Crook, which also dates from the 16th century. The Phillipsons were staunchly Royalist, and during the English Civil War, the Briggs family (who were Parliamentarians) frequently clashed. After the war, the Phillipsons stripped their cousins, the Briggs, of all their Kendal possessions, including Helsfell Hall. The hall was emptied of all its furnishings and left derelict. It was only listed (Grade II) in 1984, seemingly after years of confusion over which of the three Hesfell Halls was the original and older. Even though it now has this 'protection' (for what it's worth) the hall is still in danger of complete collapse. Indeed, the two later additions at the far end of the hall have both lost their roofs, as well as portions of the supporting walls. The main body of the hall is also starting to lose part of its roof, although this demise seems to be only in its early stages.

Cornelia Nicholson also noted that there had been some excavations at the hall, and that an undated dig had revealed a two foot bronze cross. From this discovery, he deduced that there had been a small chapel at the hall.