This fine gentry house of c.1742 was prominently featured in Country Life in 2021, described as ‘a truly outstanding Georgian house’. Sadly, since then the building has passed through several rounds of auction, with no sustainable plan for its future yet secured. The house (Grade II*) is a handsome and characterful neo-Palladian building with some excellent surviving internal fixtures and fittings, including panelling, doorcases, fireplaces and other joinery. It is set within a high-walled garden, the walls of which are also Grade II* listed, together with an excellent Grade II* corner gazebo with a painted ceiling allegory of Britannia in Triumph (in a sadly parlous condition). The garden also contains the severely dilapidated remains of a Grade II listed shelter or theatre of uncertain date.
The Group was consulted on a scheme to give the house a new use by dividing it to form two residences, with associated internal alterations, and works to create a new access driveway through the garden wall. The Group was fortunately able to visit the site to assess the proposals ‘on the ground’, and the case was presented to our expert Casework Committee for consideration.
Following careful consideration and assessment, we advised that, whilst the principle of dividing the house into two residences might be acceptable, provided it is robustly justified and undertaken reversibly, we had profound concerns that the associated works had the potential to cause a high degree of irreversible harm to the significance of this Grade II* listed building. We also raised serious concerns that the proposed new access through the garden wall would result in the loss of historic fabric and would be visually prominent within the setting of the house, eroding the historic character of its enclosed walled garden and impacting on a key view within the Aislaby Conservation Area.
We are also deeply alarmed by the parlous condition of the Grade II* gazebo and strongly recommended that the applicants work with their heritage consultants to produce a clear plan for the conservation of this important building and its painted ceiling. We further advised that we would welcome a plan for the reinstatement of the lost shelter/theatre.
We hope that the applicants will heed our advice and recommendations and revise the application accordingly, helping to secure a sympathetic and sustainable future for Aislaby Hall and its gardens.