Kettlethorpe Hall, West Yorkshire

Kettlethorpe Hall is a Georgian house on the outskirts of Wakefield, built by the Pilkington family^[1][2] It is a two-storey building constructed of stone, and contains Doric columns.^[1] The house underwent multiple renovations in the 19th century.^[3] The first floor keystone showed the date of construction as 1727.^[3]

In 1847, the façade of the 14th century^[4] Chantry Chapel (also known as the Sentry Chapel) on Wakefield Bridge was moved to Kettlethorpe Hall, and the original restored. The façade was attached to a boathouse folly,^[5][6] beside the hall's artificial lake.^[6] In 1859, the folly was temporarily used as a mortuary.^[6][7] In the West Riding of Yorkshire volume of Pevsner Architectural Guides, Nikolaus Pevsner described the boathouse as "the most precious of all boat houses".^[7]

In 1950, Kettlethorpe Hall was purchased by Wakefield Council, and was used as a retirement home until 1983. In 1988, the hall was bought by Yorkshire Preservation Trust, who converted it into two separate houses. Wakefield Council still owned the grounds surrounding the hall.^[8] In 1996, the remains of the boathouse were removed from the grounds of Kettlethorpe Hall by Wakefield Council, who put it into storage.^[5][4] The remaining stones of the boathouse became a scheduled monument, and in 2014, they were put into the secret garden at Thornes Park in Wakefield.^[4][7] The stones were erected at an angle to make them easier to view.^[7]

Nowadays, the house is privately owned, but the grounds are a public park.^[5] In 1953, Kettlethorpe Hall became a Grade I listed building.^[3] The boathouse is separately listed as a Grade II* listed building.^[9]

• Grade I listed buildings in West Yorkshire
• Listed buildings in Wakefield