Haddon Hall - medieval manor house

Oil painting of Haddon Hall - a perfectly preserved medieval manor house in beautiful Derbyshire Peak District surroundings

Medium: Oil on Canvas
SizeWidth: 19 inchesHeight: 37 inches

I liked the solidity of this English manor house and the imprecise patterns of its uneven stonework.

English houses of the medieval period, of which this is one, have a natural pattern of construction. The hall itself was rooted in the land and the local community, and seems to be in harmony with the natural environment around it. This reflects the nature of agrarian feudal life, of which the hall is a product.

The stones in the picture are locally quarried Derbyshire sandstone which has weathered and thus the hall is itself ever changing and thus in a way, dynamic. This old medieval hall reminds us that everything is ultimately transient in the face of nature, including ourselves.

Perfectly preserved, this manor house dates from the 12th century with modifications made in the 14th and 15th centuries during the Age of Chivalry. It is one of the residences of the Duke of Rutland.